


One More Chance

by ALGrace



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Tattoo Parlor, Cafe AU, Coffee Shops, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Slow Burn, Slow Burn Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Tattoo AU, The Jasmine Dragon (Avatar), coffee shop/ tattoo parlor au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:14:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 24,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27393331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ALGrace/pseuds/ALGrace
Summary: Zuko and Katara slow burn coffee shop/tattoo parlor au. It will get smutty. Enjoy
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Mai/Ty Lee (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 95





	1. Chapter 1

Zuko

Zuko leaned against the counter and stared vacantly out the coffee shop window, watching as people strolled by in the fall sunlight. He fought back a sigh and tried not to think of the massive amount of homework he had to do before his classes tomorrow.  
“Hey, Zuko,” Mai called from the back. “Do we need more lids?”  
He glanced over his shoulder at the empty rack where the lids should be stacked as the bell on the door dinged.  
“Yeah we need a re-stock,” he said, before turning around to face his new customer.  
“Hi, welcome to the Jasmine Dragon. What can I get for you today?”  
The girl across the counter from him hadn’t looked at him yet. Instead, he watched as her eyes meandered across the specials board, before meeting his face, and flicking straight to the large scar that peeled back towards his left ear. It was hardly a new sequence of events. People had been staring at his face since he was a kid, their faces unable to hide their emotions ranging from pity to fear.  
He was pleasantly surprised as her face remained neutral at the sight of his scar, and split into a smile when she began her order.  
“Hi, can I get a large caramel macchiato with whipped cream and chocolate curls on top?” she said. Zuko quickly punched her order into his computer and pulled a cup off the rack.  
“Your name?”  
“Katara.”  
“Okay, that’ll be $8.75. Your order will be ready soon.”  
He watched as she dug through her bag for the cash, trying not to stare. She had been in the Jasmine Dragon before, but not too often. She was also incredibly pretty. He loved the way her thick dark hair cascaded past her shoulders; and how the warm tone of her skin was offset by her blue sweater. It always surprised him a little to see tattoos peaking out from under her clothes. He wondered what she did that warranted so many, but he would never ask. He hardly knew the girl.  
She handed him exact change with a smile.  
“Thanks.” He said flatly, stuffing it into the register.  
“Thank you,” she said, almost absently, as she walked over to the other counter to wait for her drink.  
He busied himself making her drink and it wasn’t until she was already out the door that his uncle appeared next to him.  
“What a lovely young lady,” he said. Zuko jumped and swore under his breath. “Don’t start, Uncle.” Zuko fought the urge to cross his arms and huff, a habit he had only recently managed to kick. “Can I go now? I have to finish a paper for my anthropology class tomorrow.”  
“You can go,” Iroh said with a sly smile. “Just be sure to take the trash out with you.

Zuko shouldered his way into his apartment smelling like coffee and garbage. He threw his bag on the floor and stripped on his way to the bathroom, chucking his apron across the room. Without even thinking about it, he slammed the bathroom door shut, cranked the hot water on as hot and high as it would go, and stepped into the shower. He pressed his forehead against the cool tile and let the molten water wash the day off of him.

Katara

Katara walked briskly down the street on her way to work, sipping her coffee and scrolling through her phone. She let her feet follow the familiar route to work while enjoying looking at the art styles of other tattoo artists. She sipped happily on her monthly treat and arrived at her tattoo parlor before she knew it. She pushed the door open to the familiar smell of old leather and new metal.  
“Hey, Toph,” she called. “Hey, Sokka.”  
Her brother poked his head out of the small office in the building.  
“There you are, you’re late.” He said, raising an eyebrow. She held up her coffee as explanation and kept walking to her station.  
“Hey, Sugar Queen,” Toph said with a grin as she ran her hands gently over her equipment. “Caramel again?”  
Katara chuckled. “Stop doing that, it’s almost unnerving.”  
She watched as Toph moved about her station. It was uncanny, how she moved with purpose. Her clients loved her even more. She was a true artist with a tattoo gun in her hand, and shockingly graceful on her feet, especially for a blind girl.  
“All booked up again?” Katara asked, going through her own appointment book. Toph held up her phone, which has voice memos going all the way through to the next year.  
“Oh yeah. People can’t seem to get here fast enough.” She sat contently in her chair. “What am I even going to school for? This is the best.”  
“Your parents expect a degree, remember?” Katara said lightly. It was always hit or miss if Toph would laugh or get angry over a joke at her parent’s expense.  
Toph snorted, and Katara relaxed.  
“You both have clients on the way,” Sokka said as he walked over, looking a the stack of forms in his hands. “Gran-Gran said she’d pick up some clients looking for sacred tattoos too, if you wanted to help her with that Katara.”  
“Sure thing,” Katara said, turning to face her brother. “I’m all set for classes for the week anyway.”


	2. Chapter 2

Zuko swore quietly when he got a D on his paper. It wasn’t like he had done his best, but he thought he’d be able to do a little better. He stuffed the paper into his backpack and tried to forget about it. He would have much more to deal with later.

He stood outside his parent’s house as the chauffer drove to the car lot. He reached for the door but couldn’t seem to bring himself to open it. Luckily, he didn’t have to. The door swung open and his little sister’s smug face poked out.  
“Are you going to stand there all night, dumb-dumb?” she demanded.  
“No.” Zuko growled, trying to control his temper. Nobody could push his buttons like Azula.  
“Then come inside. Father is waiting on you. There’s something he wants to discuss with you.” She turned away and left the door open for him. He steeled himself before crossing the threshold.  
His weekly family dinner went about as well as it always did. Zuko was forced to sit in the parlor while his father ripped into him about his grades, reminding him what a screw up he was. Reminding him he was expected to take over the Jasmine Dragon chain, that’s why he was in college: to get his business and finance degree to force some competence into his head. Zuko would have sworn he could hear Azula snickering in the hallway.  
Then they moved to the diningroom where Azula met them, and the three ate dinner in steely silence as the maid moved as quickly as she could. Zuko knew it didn’t matter. She’d be gone within the month no matter what she did.  
Finally, dinner was over. His father retreated to his study, giving Zuko the freedom to leave. As he headed for the door, Azula stepped into his path.  
“C’mon Zu-zu, it’s been months since we sparred. I’m getting tired of the kids in my class.”  
“I don’t want to. I have school work to do.” He said, trying to step around her.  
“I’ll help you with it. I just want a little challenge. You don’t think you can challenge me?”  
Zuko paused, knowing she was goading him. He knew she liked to do this every once in a while, just to prove she could still win against him. To prove she was faster and retained forms better. Just like she showed him again and again that school work and friendship came easier to her than it did to him.  
“Fine,” he said, throwing down his school bag. “One round.”  
He followed her to the home gym in the basement and changed into his soft dojo pants and a tank top. She came out in a matching outfit. He cringed at it, hating how his father needed to have everything just so, even down to his childrens’ clothes.  
Azula was stretching her arms, watching him like a cat watches a mouse. He tried not to resign himself to defeat and found his stance.  
“Ready?” she asked, settling into her own stance.  
“Ready.” He confirmed, and his sister lunged at him with a grin.

Zuko gingerly made his way up to his apartment door, fumbling with his keys in the dark. Of course, sparring with Azula didn’t go well for him. He was sure she bruised his ribs with her last kick. He huffed as he finally got his door open. At least he didn’t have to live with Azula or his father anymore. He glanced into his housemates room as he tiptoed by. Mai was sleeping soundly with her arm wrapped around another body, sleeping on the other side of her. Zuko raised his eyebrows. Another girlfriend? He continued on to his room, thinking Mai would go through the whole campus at this rate.  
He collapsed into bed and let sleep claim him almost instantly.

Katara

Katara neatly picked through the produce in the grocery store, selecting veggies that were up to her standard and putting them in her basket. She collected Sokka from the butcher’s counter and had him carry everything out to the car for lagging behind.  
“Let’s go, Gran-Gran is cooking tonight, remember?” she said, hurrying him through the line. Sokka grinned at the thought of his grandmother’s home cooking.  
Hakoda was already home when his kids got in, helping their grandmother finish making dinner. The four sat and ate together, laughing and chatting about their days. Hakoda spun wild stories of his nights as a security guard to Katara, while Sokka and Gran-Gran talked business with the tattoo parlor. As the night wore on, the four of them carefully packed away the leftovers to have as lunch for the next day, and washed and dried the dishes. Katara hugged her family goodbye before heading back to her dorm. She sighed happily as she collapsed into bed, her roommate, Suki, already asleep across the room.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTE: DISTRESSING SCENE, READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION  
> TW: assault (sort of)

Zuko

Sweat ran down Zuko’s back as he wrapped up his session at the dojo. He joined the rest of the students in cleaning the place down before leaving.  
“See you next time, Lee!” Jet said, waving goodbye as he turned the opposite way down the darkening street with Smellerbee and Longshot. Zuko raised a hand in fairwell as he wondered to himself if he should learn their real names. He shrugged the thought off, fine to leave their names a secret so long as they didn’t ask for his. Their sensei went by “Firelord” anyway. It was a silly tradition.  
He pulled his hood up to keep himself warm in the chilly November night air, lost in thought. He took his time, not paying attention until very suddenly he collided with something warm that squeaked. He blindly reached out and caught two thin arms in his hands. He glared down at a terrified Katara, staring up at him with wide eyes. The streetlight behind his head lit up her face, and he was surprised to see she fear spreading rapidly across her lovely features.  
“Where are you going?” he asked in a panic, trying to calm her down. Maybe he could walk her home. It was a little late, and he’d feel terrible if she didn’t get home safe.  
“LET ME GO!” she screamed, suddenly jerking her arm up and glancing her elbow off his nose. Zuko reeled back, letting her go and clutching his face in pain. Blood dripped through his fingers as he groaned and staggered to the side. Katara bolted, screaming at the top of her lungs. He squinted through the pain and saw a few lights flick on in surrounding apartments.  
Great.  
This looked so bad.  
He booked it too, deciding to just get the hell out of there before he got himself in trouble.

Katara

Katara stretched out her back after her last client for the night left. She loved that native and inuit people would come to her for their ceremonial tattoos, but the process was so labor intensive. She shuffled around the shop, cleaning and organizing as she went, before finally closing up and locking the door behind her. It was getting late, but she’d have plenty of time to make a quick run to the dumpster and get rid of trash from the shop. She peaked around the side of the building, peering into the darkness of the narrow alley that lead to the lot with their dumpster in it. She steadied herself, and quickly dragged the heavy bag through the dark.  
Katara grinned to herself as she re-emerged from the alley. It wasn’t so bad. There were plenty of street lights on the other end. She silently chastised herself for being nervous, digging through her bag for her car keys when all of a sudden a man grabbed her. She didn’t even have time to scream before he had both hands pinning her biceps to her side. She looked up in horror at the hooded figure, his face completely in shadow thanks to the street light behind his head.  
“Where are _you_ going?” he growled from the depths of his hood, and her heart nearly stopped. She screamed and flailed, reacting purely on instinct. She felt her elbow connect and he stepped back, howling as he clutched his face. Katara took off blindly, screaming in pure, unadulterated fear.  
She raced for the convenience store down the block, where she knew her friend would be working. She burst into the light, sobbing and shaking. Aang quickly came around the counter.  
“Katara?” he asked, reaching for her and letting her fall into his arms. “What happened? Whats going on?” he held his friend, afraid for her, until she calmed down enough to tell him what happened. Aang called the police once she had gotten through her story, then held her hand and waited with her until they arrived.  
“Let me walk you back to your car,” he said, gently putting his arm around her shoulders. Katara agreed, calmer now but still shaken.  
She paused when they reached her car.  
Aang looked at Katara, who was looking nervously into the dimly lit back seat.  
“Do you want me to take you home? You can come get it tomorrow morning instead.” He said gently. Katara nodded, and followed Aang back to his bike.  
“Hop on, just like when we were kids,” he said, patting his handle bars.  
Katara's lower lip wobbled. “Think I can still fit?”  
“Absolutely.”  
Katara hesitated with her hands resting next to Aang’s. “Do you think I could spend the night?” She asked quietly.  
“Of course, Katara. Anything you need.” Aang said gently but firmly, quashing the way his heart fluttered. Now wasn’t the time.  
Katara hopped onto his bike handles and he rode the two of them home, the way he had since they were small.  
The familiarity made Katara feel just a little bit better as they rode through the dark together.


	4. Chapter 4

Zuko  
Zuko found himself sitting at his father’s dinner table sooner than he would have liked. He had been on edge all night, more so than usual, after scaring the daylights out of that poor girl. He had been waiting for the police to show up at his door with a sketch of his face, ready to arrest him. He has no idea what to do. What was more, he didn’t know who to turn to.  
His uncle would have encouraged him to fess up, he was sure. But what would that to do him? What would his father do to him? He was meant to be the face of a corporation. It looked bad, and his father would never let him live it down. Zuko couldn’t help thinking of the time he had accidentally embarrassed his father at a corporate event. His father threatened to disown him then. He had no doubt he would follow through with it if he embarrassed him as an adult.  
He wasn’t sure if Mai would rip him a new one or laugh at the misunderstanding. Either way it wouldn’t be useful.  
He felt like he couldn’t swallow his food.  
“Zuko, you’ve barely eaten.” His father noted. Zuko resisted the urge to close his eyes for a moment of solice. “Is Song’s cooking unsatisfactory?” he demanded, shooting a sharp glance at the new maid.  
“No, father. I’m not feeling well. I don’t have much of an appetite.”  
His father leaned back. “Is that so. Very well, you’re excused. Be sure not to touch the doorknob on the way out. I can’t risk catching anything that might be breeding on a university campus.”  
“Yes, father.” Zuko said, actively working not to show the delight at being excused. Maybe he shouldn’t feel well more often.  
“I’ll walk him out, father.” Azula said, standing with him. Zuko’s heart sank.  
“Thank you, Azula.” His father said, picking up his phone.  
Zuko had no choice but to allow Azula to follow him out into the hallway. She remained silent as they made their way down the stairs, but Zuko could feel her eyes burning two holes into the back of his head.  
He finally reached the front door and was considering his options on how to open it without touching it when Azula finally spoke up.  
“What’s wrong with you?” she demanded, strolling idly around him to come to a stop between him and the door.  
He paused. Azula was ruthless, but she was also clever. She might be his best option for advice. Either on covering it up or fixing it.  
“I…made a mistake.” He said slowly.  
“Oh, Zu-zu. You didn’t get someone pregnant, did you?” she said in a simpering voice.  
“What? No!” he snapped, a flush rising up his face. “I scared someone.”  
Azula raised a lazy eyebrow at him. He tried again.  
“I bumped into a girl that comes to the shop, and I nearly knocked her over. But it was dark, and I didn’t see her so I grabbed her to stop her from falling over.”  
“You grabbed some poor defenseless girl, on the street, in the dark?” Azula said, crossing her arms. “Did you at least apologize?”  
Zuko covered his eyes with a hand in shame. “No.”  
“What did you do?”  
“I asked her where she was going.”  
Azula let out a bark of laughter. “So you can skin her on the way? Honestly, Zuko. What were you thinking?”  
“I wasn’t thinking anything! I was thinking she was out in the middle of the night! Why would she be there unless she needed help home or something?!”  
“You big dumb-dumb.” Azula frowned. “Wait, did she get a look at you?”  
“I have no idea,” Zuko said in despair. “I’ve been waiting for the police to show up all week.” Azula allowed herself a small, slow smile.  
“If she knew who you were, you’d be toast already. I think she didn’t see you, or didn’t get a good look. Your face is hardly forgettable.”  
Zuko paused, caught between hope and the sting of her comment about his scar.  
“She comes into the Jasmine Dragon sometimes. I recognized her.”  
Azula raised her eyebrows. “Well, well. That should be interesting. If you see her again, see how she reacts. You’ll know right away if she knows its you.”  
Zuko tried to push down his despair as Azula grinned. She opened the door for him and he mechanically walked past her.  
“Have a good night brother, dear.” She said with mock sympathy. “I hope you feel better.” 

Zuko couldn’t believe his bad luck. There she was, walking into the Jasmine Dragon sooner than he had expected and there was nowhere for him to hide. He refused to make eye contact with her as he finished taking the order of the person in front of him.  
“Mai, help at the register?” he called to the back.  
Mai shot him a dirty look and covered the mic of her headset. “I’m taking drive through orders, you know that. Where’s your uncle?”  
Zuko knew Iroh wouldn’t be anywhere near if Katara was there. He always seemed to disappear any time any girl close to Zuko’s age was in the shop.  
He thanked the customer and watched, the world seemingly moving in slow motion, as they moved away and his golden eyes met the crystal clear cerulean of Katara’s. He swallowed hard as she stepped forward, waiting for her beautiful face to contort the way it did that night.  
He nearly didn’t believe it when her face split into a beautiful smile.  
“Hi,” she said. Relief washed over him and he couldn’t help it, he actually smiled back.  
“Hi.”  
She raised a quizzical eyebrow and Zuko shook himself as his brain started working at regular speed again.  
“Oh, uhm, hi. Hi, welcome to the Jasmine Dragon. What can I do for you?”  
“Can I get one large black tea, and a caramel frappe, with whipped cream and chocolate curls?” she said, glancing at the pastry case as she did so.  
Zuko quickly punched in the unusual order, wondering who the second drink was for.  
“Anything else?”  
“Uhm, do you have a recommendation for any of the pastries?” she asked, pointing to the case.  
Zuko glanced over and his eyes fell on his recent favorite.  
“The chocolate pastry with chili frosting is actually really good. Its sweet and spicy, if you like that sort of thing.”  
Katara giggled. “I’m not sure if I would, but I bet my date would. I’ll take one of those. Thanks for the suggestion!”  
Zuko woodenly plucked the pastry out of its case, not sure why he was a little disappointed. She had taken his advice, she didn’t recognize him, so why was he uneasy?  
He quickly rang her up and got to work on her order. He had just set both cups on the pickup counter when the door opened and a girl holding a white cane entered. He was about to greet her, but Katara beat him to it.  
“Toph, over here. I got you a drink. And a snack to split.”  
“Thanks, Sugar Queen.” The girl said, walking easily over to Katara and plucking her tea out of her hand. Zuko frowned, surprised at her confidence but chose not to give it much thought. Her sight, or lack thereof, was none of his business.  
He couldn’t help watching as the two sat down and started chatting. Toph looked straight ahead, chatting and sipping on her tea while staring into middle ground. Katara set herself up across from her, with her back to Zuko.  
'Another one on Mai’s team,' he thought glumly, before catching himself. What a weird thing to think. He was just happy she didn’t realize the mix up was his fault.  
Zuko busied himself with idle work, wiping down counters and restocking the shelves.  
He couldn’t seem to help listening in on their conversation as the café cleared out, and they were the last ones left.  
“I can’t believe that happened around here,” Toph was saying. “This seems like such a safe neighborhood. You’d think you’d be okay.”  
Zuko tensed up. Were they talking about what he thought they were talking about?  
“I don’t know Toph. I didn’t even hear him. It was like he came out of nowhere. And then to ask where I was going? How much more of a creep can you be?”  
Zuko furiously scrubbed a stain on the counter, trying to suppress the embarrassed flush rising up his neck.  
“Was there another car nearby? Do you think he was trying to kidnap you?”  
“No, there was nothing. I don’t know why he grabbed me. It just freaked me out so badly.”  
“Did you sign up for a session with Ms. Chen?”  
“Oh, of course. I need some therapy over this. Hell, I’m probably going to need a lot. And maybe some self-defense classes.”  
“Hey, you’ll be okay,” Toph said. Zuko watched her out of the corner of his as as she reached across the table to take Katara’s hand in hers. “Maybe I can give you a few pointers. Nobody expects me to be able to take anyone down.”  
“I think I’d like that, thanks.” Katara said quietly.  
Zuko resisted the urge to find a hole to bury himself in. Not only was he feeling guilty for scaring her, now he was also the asshole for being relieved she didn’t recognize him, and the cause for her to seek out therapy.  
He needed to do something to help.  
He couldn’t believe what he was about to do, but he pulled out his phone and scrolled down to Azula’s name.

Katara  
Katara and Toph walked to work from their friend date together. Sokka was livid when he found out what had happened, and told Katara she didn’t have to go anywhere alone if she didn’t feel comfortable. He, Toph, and Aang all offered to walk her anywhere he needed to go.  
“My schedule is flexible at the store, I can come and go.”  
“Dad would never let me hear the end of it if I didn’t. Plus I don’t want you to be in danger.”  
“I don’t need to go to my own classes, I’m hoping to flunk out. Maybe my parents will get the hint.”  
Katara smiled and felt safer than she ever had. She knew that man might never be found, but it gave her peace of mind to know the people in her life were so clearly there for her.

Katara had just left her therapy session for the week and suddenly had a craving for her favorite coffee treat. She considered it as she walked. She had just gone with Toph, but decided that an extra sweet coffee that month wouldn’t hurt the bank too badly. She shot a text to Sokka so he wouldn’t worry when she was home later than usual for dinner and turned towards the Jasmine Dragon.  
The same boy was behind the counter as always. She remembered the first time she saw him and had to repress the pity she immediately felt when she saw his scar. It made her think of the time Toph pointed out that nobody liked to be made a victim by someone else. She was fine with her way of life. She didn’t feel different, until someone tried to make her feel different.  
‘Maybe he’s okay with it,’ was her thought as she smiled as said hello that day.  
Now, she stepped up to the counter and smiled again, but she noticed he seemed a little off.  
“Hi, welcome to the Jasmine Dragon, what can I get you?”  
Katara gave him her order and paid, and was waiting a the pickup counter for her drink when he approached slowly.  
“Uhm, Katara, right?” he asked.  
“Yes, is that something wrong?”  
“Oh, uh, no.” The boy put her drink on the counter. She felt his nervousness, and braced for him to say something uncomfortable, or to ask her out. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time.  
“I’m sorry if I’m overstepping, but last time you were here, I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation with your girlfriend.” He said slowly.  
Katara stared at him, her mind racing. Girlfriend? Then it clicked.  
“Oh! She’s just a friend. Wait, you were listening to us?”  
“Not on purpose,” he said, holding his hands up in defense. “It was just really quiet in here, and it sounded like you were really upset, and talking about self defense classes. And I teach kids at a local dojo. So. I thought. You know, if you wanted, and it wasn’t weird, maybe I could teach...you…too.” He finished, nearly out of breath.  
“You want to teach me self-defense?” Katara asked, almost incredulous. “You don’t even know me.”  
“I have a little sister,” he said. “She can handle herself, but I couldn’t imagine the stress she and our family would be under if she couldn’t. I just want to help.”  
Katara watched him wearily. He seemed sincere. Still, it struck her as odd.  
“I’ll keep that in mind, thanks.” She said, a bit shortly. She picked up her drink, turned on her heel and walked away to hide the blush creeping up her face.

“Do you think that’s a good idea?” Katara asked Aang. The two of them were sitting on her bed in her dorm and the late afternoon sun sank into the horizon.  
“I don’t know. I think self-defense is a good idea. But if you really wanted lessons, Suki would probably be the best person to do it.” Aang said, looking across the room to the many martial arts medals and ribbons hanging on Suki’s wall.  
“Yeah, that’s actually a really good idea! I’ll ask Suki when she gets in.”

“I’m so sorry, Katara. I have the end of the semester and championships coming up,” Suki said, pulling Katara into a hug. “I know its been rough this month, but I think if you have someone offering, you should take them up on it.”  
“Okay, thanks Suki.” Katara said, hugging her back. She was a little disappointed, but it was a good point. She shouldn’t have assumed Suki would have the time.

Katara marched into the Jasmine Dragon with a little more fire than usual, making the boy behind the counter take a step back in alarm.  
“Okay, I would like to take you up on your offer” Katara said seriously.  
“Oh. Oh okay! Great. Um, yeah. Fantastic.”  
“I’m free Thursday nights, does that work for you?”  
“Oh, uh yeah.”  
“Great. Give me your marker.” She said, holding her hand out expectantly. He nervously handed her the marker and she took a cup, writing down her phone number and name.  
Katara put the cup down and took two steps away before turning back and looking at the boy sharply. He seemed a little phased, and definitely alarmed.  
“What’s your name?”  
“Zuko.”


	5. Chapter 5

Zuko

*Hey, u busy?*  
*I’m at school y?*  
*You know that girl i scared?*  
*Oh no, what did you do*  
*Nothing jeez  
shes talking to her gf  
shes all grossed out by me. How do i fix this?*  
*Idk zu. try not attacking ppl*  
*srsly tho*  
*well dont tell her it was u. idk is there something you can bribe her with?*  
*she was talking about self-defense. Would it be weird to offer her lessons?*  
*wow ur useless as a person and as a man*  
*cmon azula*  
*oh fine. Yes. Offer her self-defense. It could be worse i suppose*  
*but is it weird?*  
*if it was anyone else itd be weird. From you I guess it makes sense  
just dont mention that your offering out of guilt  
takes away from the gesture*  
*thx azula*  
*any time*

Zuko stuffed his phone in his pocket and looked up, hopeful that his plan would work out, but his heart sank as the two girls stood up. He’d waited too long.  
Would it be weird to call after them? Would it be weirder to separate her from her friend to offer? Zuko desperately tried to think of a plan that wouldn’t be suspicious or aggressive, but ran out of time. The two of them walked out of the shop.  
Zuko kicked a cabinet in frustration.  
“You know,” Uncle Iroh said from behind Zuko, making him jump in surprise. “I find it best to make a plan and be patient. She will return.”  
“Stay out of this, uncle.” Zuko said as his face flushed. Again. Iroh raised his eyebrows at Zuko before turning and walking away. Zuko sighed. He’d have to apologize to his Uncle for snapping.  
“You know, he’s just trying to help. You should apologize.” Mai said, shooting Zuko a skeptical look. Zuko threw his hands up.  
“I know!” he said, stalking into the back to scream in the freezer and grab something, anything, that made it look like he wasn’t there just to scream. 

Zuko wrestled with his nerves as Katara arrived sooner than expected again. His Uncle’s words rang in his head as he fixed her drink. ‘Be patient.’ Well, she had returned. Maybe this was his chance.  
He slowly approached the pickup counter, his nerves tightening their grip on his stomach. He opened his mouth to say something. She glanced at him, and her face looked like it was bracing for something awful. Zuko couldn’t hear himself speaking past the blood pounding in his ears.  
Then he blinked, and she was gone. He looked around. What happened? What did he say?  
“Wow,” Mai said, peeking around the corner “That was painful to watch.”  
“What did she say? I think I blacked out.” Zuko asked, realizing he was still shaking. Mai snickered.  
“She said no, Zuko. Better luck next time.”

Zuko thought that would be the most stress he would have that week, until the coffee shop door flung open and Katara stormed in. If he had the thought to run he would have sprinted out the back door. Instead, he was frozen to the spot. The fleeting thought that she was sexy with that look in her eye streaked through his mind. He didn’t have the time to be shocked at his own thought before she got to him. She stepped up to the counter and directed her fiery gaze right at him. He instinctively took a step back.  
“Okay, I would like to take you up on your offer,” Katara said seriously. Zuko nearly shorted out. She had agreed to let him teach her a few things. In a dojo. Zuko nearly couldn’t believe it.  
“Oh. Oh okay! Great. Um, yeah. Fantastic.” He said. What now? Did he set up a schedule? He would have to check in with the dojo to see what nights were free. And what nights she could do. He realized he didn’t think he would get this far, and so hadn’t planned out any of the logistics.  
“I’m free Thursday nights, does that work for you?” she said, cutting across his racing thoughts. Oh, that worked.  
“Oh, uh yeah.”  
“Great. Give me your marker.” She said, and extended her hand, palm up. Zuko swiftly dropped his marker into her hand, making sure not to touch her skin. She reached behind the counter and grabbed a cup before he could protest and scribbled her name and phone number on it for him. She set it and the marker down on the counter with a decisive _clunk_.  
She spun on her heel, her long hair spinning out behind her and was about to storm back out when she stopped and looked over her shoulder.  
Zuko nearly stopped breathing. The sunlight streaming in the window, her hair, the light glinting off her eyes and that look. She was stunning.  
“What’s your name?” she asked. He almost didn’t know the answer anymore.  
“Zuko.” He finally croaked out. She nodded and left the shop. He finally remembered to breathe and checked the cup with her number on it.  
“Incredible,” Mai said from her seat at the drive through window. “You’re an idiot, and she agrees to be around you anyway.”

Katara

Katara was sprawled on her back on her bed Thursday afternoon, mildly dreading the evening. Her classes were finished, she didn’t have any appointments at the tattoo parlor, and she was meeting a virtual stranger to learn how to fight. The only thing keeping her from calling it off completely was the conversation she has with Suki before she headed to her night class. 

“Have you ever run into a kid named Zuko? Scar on his face?” Katara had asked.  
“Hm, is it a really bad one? Like over his eye?” Suki asked, taking a moment to look up from her homework.  
“Yeah! That’s the one.”  
“Yup. We’ve been in competing dojos before. He’s actually pretty good. Why?”  
“That’s the guy who offered to teach me self-defense.” Katara admitted.  
“Really? Wow, I thought that kid was a shut in. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him say a word.”  
“Oh.” Katara paused, thoughtful. “You think he’s just quiet or like, a basement dweller?”  
“I’m actually positive he’s just quiet. His family owns the entire Jasmine Dragon chain. The kid’s family is loaded.” Suki said, returning to her work. “He’s practically royalty.”

Katara sat up and checked her phone. She should leave soon. She tried to picture Zuko waiting for her, but all she could envision was him behind the counter, but now wearing a crown. Great.  
She sighed and got up to change. She picked out her favorite workout tank top, blue with her Gran-Gran’s tribal artwork printed on, and a dark blue pair of yoga pants. She glanced at her mostly blue closet and chuckled to herself. She really did have a preference, didn’t she?  
She looked herself up and down in the mirror and couldn’t help striking a pose. She cut a nice figure, and the tank top showed off the tattoos Gran-Gran had done for her. The same ones she had, and the same ones Gran-Gran said her mother had had.  
Katara felt her nerves settle at the comforting thought of her mother as she walked out the door.

Zuko was a nervous wreck. He paced madly back and forth. He shouldn’t have arrived so early to their agreed meeting time. He kept checking his phone, expecting a text from his new contact saying she wasn’t coming. He was also suspicious of his sensei, who seemed almost eager to let Zuko borrow the dojo for a private session once he learned a girl was coming.  
Finally, he saw a flash of blue out of the corner of his eye and stilled, busying himself with his phone. His heart was in his mouth when she opened the door and gave him an awkward little wave.  
“Hey,” he said, desperately trying to keep his cool. “You made it.”  
“Yup,” she said, putting her stuff down. “It’s a cute place. Like the Kyoshi Dojo uptown.”  
“Oh, you know that place?”  
“Yeah, my roommate goes there. Suki Kwan.”  
Zuko raised his eyebrows.  
“Suki Kwan is your roommate?” he asked, impressed and surprised.  
“Yeah,” Katara said, “She said she’s seen you at competitions.”  
Zuko forced himself to glaze over the fact the Suki even knew who he was to focus on the situation at hand.  
“If your roommate is Suki Kwan why are you even here? I’m sure she could teach you better than I can. She could probably give me a few lessons, too.”  
Katara blushed a little. “I actually did ask her first. She’s got finals and championships coming up. She doesn’t really have the time. I think she would have made time, but I told her you had offered, so she suggested I take you up on it.”  
Zuko grinned inwardly. Suki Kwan herself had signed off on him teaching self-defense. He looked forward to bragging about that to Jet.  
“Well, I’m flattered to have her seal of approval.” Zuko said with renewed confidence. “Why don’t we get started?”  
He had Katara warm up with him with a few stretches. She was a little more flexible than he was, so she was easily able to keep up. Zuko did his best not to stare while she arched her back. He reached for his toes instead, wondering what on Earth was wrong with him lately. He usually never had the urge to stare.  
“Okay, now lets start with some basics,” he said, standing up straight again.  
Zuko walked her through a few stances, helping her align her feet at some points. He asked her to show him her fist, and was impressed she didn’t tuck her thumb inside her fingers. He did adjust her thumb though, so it wasn’t in front of her knuckles.  
“Make sure your thumb is out of the way,” he explained, gently adjusting her hand into a neat fist. “That way, if you punch someone, you’ll do more damage and wont break any fingers.” His hand lingered on hers for just a moment longer before he stepped away. “Now let me see your horse stance again.”  
Zuko guessed Katara had picked a few things up from being around Suki. She took to training very well. He taught her a few blocks, and a wrist lock.  
“Okay, so lets have a quick spar to see what you learned.” He said, putting on a pair of padded gloves.  
He and Katara circled one another, Zuko kept his hands up and watched Katara move. She was graceful, there was no doubt about that. She moved like a dancer, but he worried when she didn’t keep her guard up. He made a note to point it out to her after the match.  
She leapt towards him, slamming her elbow into the padded glove.  
“Good,” he said, forced to use some strength to keep his hand up under the impact. “Do it again.” Katara punched again, a little softer this time. Zuko frowned.  
“Harder.”  
Katara grit her teeth and hit him again. It was even softer.  
“Katara, hit me harder.” He ordered. Katara’s brow wrinkled. He didn’t understand what was wrong.  
She came forward again anyway, slamming her elbow into his ribs instead of the padding.  
Zuko dropped to his knees, the wind knocked out of him.  
“What the hell was that?” he wheezed, looking up at her. He was surprised to see tears pricking Katara’s eyes. She looked both horrified at what she had done and miserable to be there at all.  
“Sorry,” she gasped, and bolted.  
Zuko shakily stood up, slowly getting his breath back, and followed her.  
She was sitting on the front steps of the dojo, crying quietly.  
He sat down next to her with a grunt.  
“You…want to talk about it?” he asked.  
“I had a…terrifying…event,” she choked out. Zuko idly wondered if it was the tears or the memory that made it hard for her to speak.  
“And I feel like every man’s voice lately sounds like his,” she whimpered, curling further into herself. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I panicked.”  
Zuko glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, waves of guilt crashing over him. This was his fault.  
And he was lying to her.  
Because it was his voice.   
Should he come clean? Would it make it better? Or worse? He swallowed hard, suddenly hearing his uncle’s voice in his head, like he always did when making a hard decision.  
“Katara,” he started, “I-“  
“Please,” she cut him off. “Don’t. I’ve had so many people tell me they’re sorry and pity me. You’re one of the few trying to actively help.” She looked at him with watery eyes. “I don’t want any more pity. I just want to feel stable.”  
Zuko met her gaze and his resolve failed him. He couldn’t tell her. He looked away.  
“I get not wanting pity.” He said quietly. “Every time someone looks at me I get a different reaction. Kids stare, peers want to ask, adults pity. Some people are terrified. Some are horrified. Some of them look at me like a project. Something they can fix. But nobody can fix us. Everyone’s got a scar like this. Most of them you just can’t see.” He looked back at her. Katara was staring at him as the darkness of night descended on them. Streetlamps flicked on and lit up the tears on her face, and the stunning blue of her glassy eyes.  
Zuko slowly pulled off his glove and held up his hand so she could see what he was doing. And slowly, gently, he wiped the tear tracks off her face. Then blushed in alarm at what he had just done.  
“Oh, um. Sorry. I guess that was just…reflex.”  
Katara still hadn’t moved. She was still staring at him with a now unreadable expression.  
“Its okay,” she said finally, looking down and wiping her face off herself. “Thank you.”  
“Any time.” He said awkwardly.  
“Do you think we’re done in the dojo for tonight?” he asked slowly, unsure if he wanted an answer.  
“For tonight.” Katara agreed. “I think I’d like to come back and try again next week though. If you’re still up for it.”  
“As long as you aim for the gloves, and not me,” he said lightly.  
Katara barked out a short laugh and looked at him, a little embarrassed.  
“Deal.”


	6. Chapter 6

Zuko

“Wow, you made her cry on the first night. Good job.” Mai said sarcastically, standing at the stove and stirring a steaming pot while looking over the instructions on the back of a box. She peered into the pot and frowned.  
“I didn’t mean to make her cry.” Zuko said, looking up from his homework set up at the kitchen table of their apartment.  
“Whatever. Just don’t traumatize her. From the sound of it, she’s had enough done to her.”  
“What do you mean?” Zuko asked, slightly nervous. So far the only person who knew it was him was Azula. He wondered if Azula told Mai. Zuko had only met Mai through Azula anyway.  
“It’s not exactly a secret that she was nearly kidnapped. We both heard her talking to that blind chick,” Mai said, taking her pot off the fire and placing it on a cloth on the counter. She continued to stir. “Isn’t that why you went all knight in shining armor and offered to teach her how to defend herself?”  
“Oh, right,” Zuko said, blushing. He had forgotten Mai was standing there for that.  
“Ugh, this didn’t go right,” Mai muttered to herself, looking from the box in her hand, to her now smoking pot, and back again.  
“What are you even making?” Zuko asked. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you cook.”  
“It’s supposed to be curry. I have a girl coming over and my father wouldn’t let me borrow the maid. I don’t think this is right though,” she said, frowning and sniffing the food. She recoiled.  
“Yeah that’s wrong.” She looked over her shoulder at Zuko. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about cooking, would you?”  
“Not even a little,” Zuko said. “You know that.”  
“Well, you could have picked up cooking skills after we broke up.”  
“That was in middle school,” Zuko laughed. “We’ve been living together longer than we dated.”  
Mai allowed herself a rare smile. “Takeout it is then.”  
There was a moment of quiet as Mai scraped the thick, smoking brown mass of inedible food into the pail and plunked the pot in the sink.  
“So who is coming over this time?” Zuko asked idly.  
“Oh, just Ty Lee,” Mai said, trying and failing to sound casual.  
“Ty Lee again?” Zuko asked. “Thats been what, a whole month with the same person?”  
“Oh shut up, Zuko,” Mai said, stomping from the room to order food. 

Katara

“You met with a strange man alone?” Sokka demanded, his voice nearly cracking, even at his age. He plunked his laundry basket down next to hers and she frowned at it.  
“Oh please Sokka, you’re acting like I met a complete stranger in an alley. I met the barista from the Jasmine Dragon in a well lit dojo. And Suki knew who he was. She even said he was a good person.”  
Sokka quieted at the mention of Suki. “Speaking of,” he said, changing the subject entirely, “How is your roommate doing these days? She’s not around as often for dinner.”  
“She’s busy with school and championships Sokka,” Katara reminded him, hanging up another sweater to dry. “If you want to see her so badly why don’t you just ask her out already?”  
Sokka squawked. “I don’t like her. I'm too old for her. I’m just concerned about your friendships and your friends lives beyond that.” He crossed his arms and looked away. Katara glanced up at him.  
“Suki’s a year younger than you are.” She shot back. “But fine, if you want me to tell her you’re not interested…” Katara trailed off with a shrug.  
“Woah woah now, I don’t want to break the poor girls heart. I never said I wasn’t interested.” Sokka sat on the floor with his sister. “Why do you think she’s interested?”  
“Ask her yourself,” Katara said sharply, throwing a pair of his pants in his face. “And do your own laundry. You’re grown.”


	7. Chapter 7

Katara

Katara had her head resting on Aang’s stomach as the two of them laid out on a blanket in the park. A chill was starting to settle over them as the sun started to dip below the horizon.  
Katara groaned and sat up. “Time to pack up, I think.” She said, looking at the empty cooler and wine bottles around them. Drinking and picnicking in the park with Aang was one of her favorite summer activities, and she felt a little sad as she suspected this would be the last one of the season.   
Aang rocked himself into a sitting position and looked around.  
“Yeah,” he agreed “Its going to be cold soon.”  
The two packed up what was left of their picnic, cracking jokes and still a little giddy from all the wine. Aang held the blanket above him with both arms and ran ahead as Katara followed him with the cooler to the parking lot. She laughed as the blanket streamed out behind him like a cape. Aang dissolved into laugher too, letting the blanket settle around his shoulders as he turned to face her. The last light of the setting sun lit up her eyes and Aang caught his breath.  
“Hey Katara,” he said, suddenly serious.  
“Yes, Aang?” she said, bemused.   
“What do you say to a date…with me?” he said, his heart beating so loud he could hardly hear himself over it.   
Katara stared at him. “What?”  
“Like if we went out like this again but next time, romantically?” Aang said, hating how doubt crept into his voice. He had practiced this much more confidently in the mirror.  
“Aang, I don’t know. There’s been a lot going on lately.” Katara said, and Aang’s resolve collapsed. He knew she was going to let him down gently.  
“I don’t think I should start a relationship right now.” She finished.  
“That’s fine, Katara,” Aang forced out. “Our friendship is most important to me. I just want you to be happy.”  
His chest contracted as she smiled at him.  
“Thanks, Aang. You’re a good friend.”

Katara found herself facing Zuko in the dojo again before she knew it. The two of them had been running drills for almost an hour. Katara was sweating and panting. She could feel the heat in her face from the exertion. Zuko, frustratingly, had yet to break a sweat.   
“Again,” he said.  
‘AgAiN’ she thought in her head. If he said ‘again’ like that one more time she felt like she might actually attack him. She moved through the disarming move he was teaching her once again, a little smoother this time. But when she was supposed to knock him over, she fumbled, and he swept her feet out from under her instead.  
“Get up. Again.” He said coldly. She felt her blood beginning to boil.   
Katara grit her teeth and pulled herself back onto her feet. She’d show him something new instead.  
Zuko nodded to her, and she began moving through the form as he taught her, but when she was supposed to sweep his leg, she instead grabbed his shoulder and arm, twisted, and threw him over her shoulder like Suki had shown her years ago.  
Zuko landed flat on his back with a grunt, stunned. He looked up at Katara, who was glaring down at him.   
To Katara’s surprise, his face split into a lopsided grin, and if she didn’t know any better, that might have been a giggle escaping from him throat before he muffled it.  
“That’s well done, actually.” He said, his golden eyes meeting hers. Her heart leapt to her throat at the intensity of his gaze. “Always keep an attacker on their toes.”

Zuko

The throw had caught Zuko off guard, but it was staring up at Katara with fire in her eyes that made his heart race. He chalked it up to his fight or flight sense being activated. It was a similar feeling he got when entering the ring at a competition. He did note that the feeling lingered though. That surprised him. Usually it would wear off in a few minutes. But it seemed to race through him, making his limbs tingle with energy as he continued his lesson with Katara. Maybe he was hungry?  
Luckily, their hour and a half was just about up. Zuko felt the fatigue from the lesson, but Katara was the one sweaty and flushed.   
When he finally called it, she sat on the floor with a _thump _, scooted over to the wall by her bag, and grabbed her water bottle.  
“Finally,” she said “This is exhausting.”  
Zuko shrugged, fetching his water bottle and sitting next to her. “It’s the best way to learn real self defense. Not a few tricks from a take back the night seminar.”  
“Hey, those aren’t so bad,” Katara pointed out. She dug through her bag and held up her keychain. “I got mace from one of those.”  
“But did you use it?” Zuko asked, and instantly regretted it.  
Katara went quiet. “No,” she said finally, her voice barely audible. “I was too terrified to do anything other than panic.”  
“I’m sorry,” Zuko said. “I didn’t mean for that to come off so harsh. But it did make my point. All the pocket knives and pepper spray and gimmicky key chains in the world can’t help you if you don’t have the mindset to protect yourself and survive already ingrained in you.”   
Katara looked at him, and Zuko couldn’t tell if she was about to cry or slap him.  
“It is why I want to help you though,” he said softly. Katara raised her eyebrows, looking at him through her lashes. His stomach flipped. He must really be hungry.  
“Do you have anything planned after this?” he asked. He nearly slapped his hand over his mouth in surprise. He couldn’t believe he blurted that out without thinking about it.  
“No, did you have something in mind?” Katara asked, a wry smile sneaking across her face.  
“There’s a taco truck that parks down the road every night.” He offered.  
“That actually sounds perfect.”__

__Zuko felt like the sequence of events that lead to him and Katara standing together outside a food truck were all but surreal. The cold night air pour off their lips in puffs of vapor that vanished as quickly as it appeared. Katara seemed to huddle close to Zuko for warmth. He stiffened a little, trying not to accidentally bump her. He mechanically ordered his favorite, an paid for his and Katara’s food. They huddled under an awning with a heat lamp, casting both a soft orange glow and a trickle of warmer air over them.  
Zuko stuffed half his taco in his mouth without thinking. Only wanting food in his belly and more warmth in his body. He caught himself at Katara’s giggle.  
“Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you eat before. Do you always inhale food?”  
“No,” he said stiffly, “Its just cold. And I didn’t have time to eat before our session today.” Katara snorted. Zuko was caught between the thoughts ‘crass’ and ‘cute’ at the sound.   
Zuko huffed and took a smaller bite of his taco, which only got more giggled from Katara.  
“Oh what now?” he said, half kidding through a mouthful of food.  
“I’m sorry, I don’t want to make you self conscious,” she said, trading her tacos to one hand and pulling a napkin out from under the cardboard container. She reached out and wiped hot sauce off the side of his face. The two of them froze.  
“What – “ Zuko began.  
“I’m so sorry!” Katara said, looking as surprised as he was. “That was such a mom reflex! I definitely don’t know you like that.”  
“Not yet,” he said, taking the napkin from her and wiping his own face.  
Katara suppressed a smile.  
“Yet?” she asked. Zuko rolled his eyes.  
“You know what I mean,” he said, finally swallowing his food.  
“Oh do I?” she challenged with a grin on her face. Zuko looked at her, his face unflinching.  
“You’re impossible,” he said flatly, turning and marching back to the dojo. He bit his lip to keep the smile from working across his face.  
“Wait!” she said, shuffle-running after him and laughing so hard she could barely speak. “Wait for meeeee!”_ _


	8. Chapter 8

Zuko

Zuko was sitting at his fathers’ table once again, with Azula facing him as always. Snow was quietly settling on the ground outside and all he could think about was how Katara would be waiting for him just outside the dojo when he could finally leave.  
He smiled softly to himself, thinking about how lately he could be greeted her cold-flushed nose and cheeks paired with her warmest smile.  
“Is something funny, Zuko?” Azula shot at him. His smile vanished as he looked up. His eyes flicked from Azula, who seemed delighted to be able to catch him with his guard down, to his father, who seemed slightly suspicious but ultimately indifferent.  
“Just thinking about the class I’m teaching after this.” Zuko said. It was mostly true. “The kids in it are really coming along.”  
“Yes, your uncle told me about that new class you picked up,” his father said coldly, pausing to sip his drink. Zuko tensed. That couldn’t be good.  
“He said it was a class of one?”  
“Yes, sir.” Zuko said, looking at his plate.  
“And the one is a young lady?”  
Zuko clenched his jaw. He know Uncle Iroh would never tell his father that. Who would know so much?  
His eyes flicked to Azula’s, and he saw the faux innocence and surprise. But even she couldn’t suppress the flicker of malicious delight that lurked under the surface.  
“It is, sir.”  
He saw the slow, slicing smile cut his father’s ice cold face out of the corner of his eye.  
“Well,” he said, and Zuko braced for it. He knew what was coming next and his heart clenched in fear.  
“We’ll have to have her for dinner.”

Zuko left his fathers house with an envelope in his hand and a flash of Azula’s nastiest grin. He numbly got into his car and drove to the dojo, where Katara would be waiting. He almost wished she wouldn’t be there. But of course, as Zuko pulled up, she was. She waved at him from her car and got out to meet him at the door.  
“This is for you,” he said formally, handing her the envelope. She took it with a confused smile.  
“Something fun going on?” she asked, opening it as Zuko unlocked the door and let them in.  
“Not in the least,” he said darkly.  
Katara frowned as she opened the envelope. Inside, Zuko knew she would see and red and gold embossed stationary with his family name and the Jasmine Dragon logo. Black script would politely threaten her into coming to dinner with him and his family. He looked at the old popcorn ceiling and wished for lightning to strike him down.  
“Is this…a formal invitation to dinner?” Katara finally asked. Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose, then turned to face her.  
“Unfortunately, it is.” He said grimly. Katara gave a halfhearted chuckle.  
“Don’t sound so excited,” she joked. “Its not a big deal. But…why does your dad want to meet me?”  
“My father likes to know everyone in my social circle.” Zuko said, unable to meet Katara’s eyes. “To make sure they’re good enough for the family brand.”  
“What?”  
“He wants to make sure anyone in the family is only seen with higher class or social elite. The only reason I’m here at all is because volunteer teaching for kids looks good in an article. He doesn’t even know about the friends I have here. But somehow he caught wind of you. I’m so, so sorry.” Zuko said in a big rush. He finally looked at Katara to see here eyebrows arched as high as they would go. Then, her face shifted into an expression he hadn’t seen before, but reminded him uncomfortably of Azula.  
“Fine, no problem.” She said, shrugging off her coat and tossing it in the corner of the dojo with her bag and the invitation.  
Zuko stared at her.  
“Really?”  
“Yup. Now are we going to do some martial arts or what?”

Katara

“Are you sure about this?” Sokka asked as Gran-Gran helped Katara braid her hair. Katara dipped her brush in the face paint and finished the neat black “v” on her chin. The tops of the “v” reached all the way up to the bottom of her lips. She tugged on her mothers boots, basically an heirloom that was passed down through the family. Gran-Gran tucked a single feather into the top of her braid.  
“Absolutely.” She said fiercely, admiring her ceremonial tribe gear. “If the Roku family want to meet social elite, they’re going to meet the oldest elite family on this side of the country. “  
“Okay,” Sokka said, shrugging. “I trust your judgment. Good luck, and if you need anything, call Gran-Gran.”  
Gran-Gran shot him a look and he grinned sheepishly. 

Katara tried not to feel intimidated by the manor as she pulled up in her beat up little car. She shot Zuko a quick text as she parked, then got out, made sure her shoulders were back and her chin was up, and marched up the front walk.  
Just as she reached the front door, it swung open.  
Zuko’s mouth fell open when he saw her.  
“Zuko is that…woah.” A girl that had Zuko’s gold eyes and black hair came up behind him but stopped dead when she saw Katara.  
“Well,” Katara said, raising an eyebrow. “Am I going to stand in the cold all night or are you going to invite me in?” she said, directing the question at Zuko with a small smile.  
“Oh, please,” he said, stepping out of the way. “Come in.”  
As she walked past him, Zuko’s sister lazily gave her a once over. Katara let her, standing proudly as she did so.  
“It’s nice to meet you, Katara,” she said finally, extending a perfectly manicured hand. “I’m Azula. I’ve heard so much about you.”  
Katara didn’t miss the glare Zuko shot Azula.  
Katara smiled. “It’s nice to meet you too, Azula.” And shook her hand. She couldn’t help but feel Zuko’s nervousness as he watched.  
“Well, let me fetch father and let him know the guest of honor has arrived,” Azula drawled, sauntering away.  
“What are you wearing?” Zuko hissed the moment he was sure his sister was out of earshot.  
“My tribe’s ceremonial clothing,” Katara said nonchalantly.  
“I didn’t even know you had stuff like this.” Zuko said, looking her over.  
“Stuff like this?” Katara repeated, wrinkling her nose.  
“It’s amazing, and beautiful,” Zuko said, holding up his hands “But you look like a warrior princess or something.”  
“My father is the chief of our tribe,” Katara told him. “As far as you’re concerned, I practically _am_ a princess.”

Dinner, Katara noted, was even worse than her reception. While in the parlor, Azula stared and Zuko switched rapidly between flushing with stunned embarrassment and scowling in fury. Sitting at the table with Ozai, however, was more like an interrogation.  
“What an honor it is to have the chief’s daughter of the local tribe at our table,” Ozai said as he picked slowly through his meal.  
“Not the local tribe,” Katara corrected. “The whole east coast.”  
Ozai’s mouth twitched. “My apologies. I admit I’m unfamiliar with the indigenous population’s politics.”  
Katara bit her tongue. She wouldn’t rise to any bait.  
“It’s a pleasure to be here,” she said instead with a smile, taking another bite of her food. It was odd. The food was top quality; something that would cost way too much at a restaurant. But it still couldn’t compare to her Gran-Grans home cooking.  
“My son tells me that he’s been giving you private self-defense lessons?” he said, less of a question and more of a statement.  
“He has,” Katara said shortly. She wasn’t sure how much information Zuko wanted to give out.  
“And why might that be?” Ozai said with a simpering smile. Katara noted all of his statements were soft in voice. But the tone behind his words was nearly lethal.  
“I had an unfortunate encounter with a lowlife in our community,” she said primly.  
“A lowlife? In our lovely little town?” Ozai prompted. “That seems unlikely. Its so safe here.”  
“And yet, it happened.” Katara said firmly.  
“Of course, my dear.” Ozai said, placing his fork down. “It must have been so traumatizing for you.”  
“I’ve taken the appropriate actions for such an event,” Katara said, suddenly finding herself a little taken aback. She couldn’t engage with him, then he would have her.  
“Perhaps we can find a lighter subject for dinner conversation,” Zuko said quietly.  
“Silence, boy,” Ozai snapped. Katara watched in silent fury as Zuko curled into himself.  
“And when were you accosted by this…lowlife?” Ozai said, sitting back in his chair and steepling his fingers in front of his face.  
“As I was closing up my family’s shop.” Katara forced out as politely as she could.  
“Oh, your family owns a shop? And here I thought royalty didn’t work for their living.” Ozai’s dark eyes glittered with malice. Katara felt her heartbeat quicken. This was more than she had anticipated.  
“So you were alone at night and not paying attention, and reaped the rewards of such actions.”  
Fury rose in Katara’s throat, momentarily silencing her. When she regained her composure, she smiled coldly at Ozai.  
“Anyone going about their daily life shouldn’t be forced to face assault as a result, and certainly should be able to find support and solidarity in their community. I sincerely hope your daughter never finds herself in a situation where she must reach out to you for help if all she will find is distain.”  
Katara glanced at Azula, who up until now had been enjoying the show. She shot a confused glance at her father, who had dropped the charade and was now scowling at Katara. Zuko looked like he’d rather disappear entirely.  
Finally, Ozai let his hands drop frok his fave and sat up. The tension snapped.  
“Spoken like a princess,” he said with a sneer. “You’ll forgive me, I have business to attend to.” He stood, threw his napkin down, and strode from the room.  
Katara finally relaxed in her seat. She was trembling from the confrontation, and while she was beyond furious she had to face such condescension from that idiot business tycoon, she was delighted that she had handled herself in a way that would make her own dad and Gran-Gran proud.  
“Well, that was fun,” Azula said, standing too. “But I have homework to do. Don’t get into any trouble, Zuko.” She said, shooting him a pointed glance before leaving herself.  
Katara looked at Zuko and he finally made eye contact.  
“I’m so sorry,” he said once Azula left the room.  
Katara grinned at him, and she saw the surprise flicker across his face.  
“I think I really pissed off your dad,” she said with a wicked grin.


	9. Chapter 9

Zuko

Zuko lay in bed hours later, a dumb grin spread across his face and his heart racing. He couldn’t sleep. Not after the adrenaline rush of what Katara had just pulled off. His mind was racing through all of the friends he had tried to make growing up, and how all of them had been intimidated or traumatized by his father into never speaking to him again. But Katara, Katara of all people, had an entire dinner at his house. She even got his father to leave. Zuko was giddy.  
She might not want to see him again though. Being outright attacked at a dinner she was invited to was cruel. The smile slipped from Zuko’s face at the thought. Just because she won once didn’t mean she’d be up for battling his father every time she was near him. Then again, she seemed up for the challenge when he had given her the invite. But she also didn’t really know what she was getting into at the time.  
Zuko’s thoughts raced up and down until he finally fell into a restless sleep.

Zuko stood behind the counter at the Jasmine Dragon, exhausted on his feet. He had dozed through his class for the day and barely managed to complete the orders that came through. He was just grateful that the day was slow and Mai was in a particularly good mood. She was hardly scowling at all. Zuko assumed that was due to the pink shirt he had found draped over a kitchen chair, and a very lacy bra he doubted was Mai’s hanging in the shower.  
Zuko looked up, pulled from the embarrassing thought as the bell on the door chimed. He couldn’t help his face splitting into a grin as Katara walked in.   
“Good afternoon,” she said with a smile, leaning on the counter. “How was your night?”  
“Probably the best one I’ve ever had,” he said. “So good, in fact, I think your drink is on the house today.”  
Katara leaned back and laughed. Zuko suddenly felt like he couldn’t breathe. He should have gotten more sleep.  
“Great,” Katara said, scanning the menu. “I’ll have to get something special then.”  
“A special drink,” Uncle Iroh said as he emerged from the back. “For a special lady.”  
He held his hand out to shake Katara’s. She took it with a polite smile and a quick glance at Zuko.  
“I’m am Iroh, Zuko’s uncle.” He said. Zuko saw her stiffen, realizing he must be Ozai’s brother.  
“I heard you gave my brother a run for his money, last night,” he said seriously. Katara looked nervous. She hadn’t prepared for another battle so soon.   
Iroh leaned forward with a smile. “Well done,” he said with a wink.  
Katara giggled in relief, both and Iroh’s reaction and his response.  
“I hope my nephew has at least offered you a drink for your troubles,” Iroh said genially, clapping Zuko on the shoulder.  
“Yes, Uncle,” Zuko said, slightly exasperated but mostly pleased.  
“Excellent.” Iroh said. He looked seriously at Katara for a moment. “Anyone who can hold their own in a battle of wits in my brother’s house is a valuable friend indeed.”  
He shot a knowing look at Zuko before walking over to Mai, where she was taking down drive-through orders.   
“Your uncle is so sweet,” Katara said quietly, leaning in so Iroh wouldn’t hear. Zuko chuckled and leaned on the counter, looking at his uncle.  
“He’s the best. I didn’t always think so but he’s been there a lot for me.”  
Zuko glanced back at Katara and realized he was quite close to her face. She locked eyes with him and he watched a flush creep across her cheeks. He straightened abruptly, grabbing a cup off the top of the pile and writing her name on it.  
“I’ll go get your drink,” he said, taking a few steps away before stopping to realize she hadn’t ordered yet. He turned around to see her hiding a bemused smile.  
“Surprise me,” she said.

Katara  
Katara sipped happily on a large free caramel macchiato with all the toppings. She assumed Zuko either didn’t know what she wanted, so gave her a fun drink, or just felt she deserved all of the pricy toppings, which was fine by her. She had earned it after the abuse his father tried putting on her.   
The bell chimed as she walked into the tattoo shop and she was greeted by her brother and the distant sound of a buzzing needle.   
‘Toph did say she’d be busy for the next six months.’ She thought to herself as she set up her station. ‘Guess she meant it.’  
Katara sat back and scrolled through her phone. She had a few minutes before her client showed up.  
She raised her eyebrows. Zuko Roku popped up on her “people you may know” tab on FaceNote. She wouldn’t have known it was Zuko without meeting him. There profile picture was just an empty dojo, and the only info available was his job at Jasmine Dragon.   
She dug a little deeper, and found his co-worker Mai’s profile, and Azula’s. It was definitely him. Would it be weird to friend him now? They hung out often enough. She had even met his family. She allowed herself a sly smile. It might just piss Ozai off if they were publicly friends.  
She tapped ‘add friend’ just as her customer walked in. She smiled and stuffed her phone in her pocket and stood to greet them. She was glad for the distraction so she wouldn’t be checking her phone every five seconds, waiting for the reply.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday! Have an early chapter

Zuko  
“You’re an idiot,” Mai said, staring at Zuko who looked like he wanted to vanish into the floor. They were sitting at their kitchen table after Zuko had finally told Mai the whole story, and why Azula kept pressing her for information on Katara.  
“I know!” Zuko said, throwing his hands in the air in exasperation before deflating and lying forward on the table. “I’m a predator.” He said miserably.  
“Maybe you should soften the blow,” said a chipper voice from the hallway. Both Mai and Zuko jumped.  
Ty Lee poked her head out from around the corner. “Sorry,” she said with a grin. “I couldn’t help but overhear.”  
Mai barely suppressed a smile, which alarmed Zuko more than he would ever admit.  
“What do you mean soften the blow?” Mai asked.  
“Like, when my parents told me and my sisters they were getting their divorce,” Ty Lee said as she came into the kitchen and sat down. “They took us all to a theme park. We had a fun day, but with each parent separately. Like, my mom took half of us for half the day, and my dad took the other half. Then we switched at lunch.” She shrugged. “They showed us we can all have fun with them, and they still loved us. But they didn’t have fun with each other anymore.”  
“And that worked?” Zuko asked, trying not to get his hopes up.  
“Well, mostly.” Ty Lee said, her cheerful demeanor dimming for a moment. She looked at her hands resting on the table. “The news still hurt. It was still a sad thing to happen. And it took all of us different lengths of time to come to terms with it. But looking back, the memory is more sweet than bitter.” She looked up, brightening again. “Both of them have good relationships with all seven of their daughters, and I wouldn’t change a thing! People make mistakes, that’s okay. What’s not okay is not doing your best to fix it.”  
“That actually might work,” Zuko said slowly. “I could show her I’m not some deranged lunatic. I could really explain myself. But…where should I take her?”  
Ty Lee looked knowingly at Mai. Mai tried to shake her head no without Zuko noticing, but instead she only caught Zuko’s attention.  
“Ugh, fine,” she said with a huff. “I’m taking Ty Lee to a winter festival this weekend. It’s got snack booths, little carnival games, tunnel of lights. The whole disgusting holiday feeling.” She crossed her arms and shot Ty Lee a dark look. She grinned in response.  
“That’s perfect. I’m seeing her tonight for our weekly lesson. I can ask her then.” Zuko said, feeling much more relieved about the whole thing. He stood up, thanked the girls, and got ready for the day, feeling more confident about Katara than he had since he met her.

That confidence dissolved straight into fear and panic the moment she entered the dojo. His carefully planned conversation evaporated from his mind, his heart was racing, and he could hardly instruct her through their session without his mouth going dry. He had put on his coat and was headed out the door in front of her with half a mind to forgo the whole thing entirely. His hand was on the doorknob to leave, and suddenly Azula’s signature troublemaking smirk flashed through his mind. He stopped dead. Come what may, he couldn’t let Azula make this worse than it was for him. He whipped around to face Katara, who looked surprised at his sudden shift. His ears starting ringing the moment he started speaking, and he soon had no idea what he was saying, but Katara’s face relaxed from surprise into curiosity, and even more into a soft smile. Her hand was on his arm. When did that happen?  
“Absolutely,” was the only word to cut through his panic. Her smile and enthusiasm to go to the festival with him swept away his fear. Warmth mingling with relief spread through his chest.  
Great,” he said. “I’ll text you details.”

Even though he had organized it, Zuko could hardly believe he and Katara were wandering among the rows of carnival booths and Christmas lights at night, arm in arm ‘so they wouldn’t lose one another’, Katara has said. He felt giddy, but blamed it on nerves. There was a lot that had to happen tonight.  
He decided not to think about later. He was having too much fun with Katara. She went from booth to booth with a huge grin on her face, eyes lit up from the twinkling lights overhead. He bought her a boozy hot chocolate and himself a spiked hot cider as they went through the festival.  
They played a few carnival games. Katara surprised him at the dart booth, popping all five balloons and earning herself a neon pink stuffed frog. He couldn’t help showing off next at the test of strength. He swung his heavy mallet with everything he had, smugly proud when the bell at the top rang out victory.  
She bounced up to him in excitement as he handed her the odd-looking stuffed animal he’d won.  
“That was incredible!” she said, smiling at him and then looking at the prize he’d won her. She tilted her head to the side. “What do you think this is?”  
The monkey-like creature had huge eyes and bigger ears, and thin fabric connecting its arms to its torso like a flying squirrel.  
“No idea,” he said, feeling bold enough to put his arm around her shoulders and begin walking them to the next booth. “Its cute though.”  
“It is!” she said, hugging the creature to her chest and smiling up at him. He felt his body go hot and decided he’d had enough alcohol for the night. That cider must have been stronger than he realized.  
The two wandered through the festival at their leisure. At one point Zuko saw Ty Lee and Mai. Ty Lee got excited and raised a hand to wave, but Mai grabbed it and pulled her away before Katara could see.  
Finally, they made it to the holiday light show. Katara grabbed herself another hot drink before the strolled through, chatting and admiring the beautiful display of holiday-themed lights. Reindeer, waving icons like Santa and angels, color-changing presents, and timed lights made up the scene. They finally reached the end where simple gold light strands arced over them in a long tunnel. Zuko was enjoying himself, but he was also close to panicking. Would telling her now ruin everything? Would it soften the blow? If he waited would he still have the nerve?  
“Hey, Katara, can I tell you something?” the words fell out of his mouth before he could stop them. Guess it was now.  
She turned to him with an expression he’d never seen before. A sultry smile graced her lips, and she looked at him through her lashes. He felt his face go hot, and this time he couldn’t blame it on outside forces.  
“I’ve got something to tell you, too,” she said slyly.  
“What?” he said blankly. This was not how the conversation he had in his head in the shower before arriving had gone.  
Katara giggled and got closer, stretched up on her tip toes, slid her arms around his neck and pulled him in for the softest kiss he had ever gotten.  
He responded without thinking, pulling her in by the waist and kissing her back. They separated; Katara loosened her grip and came down off her toes. She looked up at him and giggled, a little in disbelief. He chuckled at her too, deliriously happy.  
“Was that what you wanted to tell me?” she said, her arms still draped over her shoulders, his arms still around her waist.  
Cold reality crashed over his head. This was not part of the plan. This felt like the absolutely wrong time to tell her. If he told her now, she’d associate their first kiss with his mistakes. But if she didn’t find out soon and Azula told her, he’d be worse off. Right? Unless…Azula never told her. And he could find the right time to do it. That could work. He’d made deals with Azula before. He could still fix this. He just needed to figure out how. He tried to pull himself together, to tell her something other than yes, but he had his arms around her, and she was looking up at him with those stunning blue eyes. He’d never known peace like this moment before in his life, and he desperately wanted more. He leaned down for another quick kiss and leaned his forehead on hers.  
“Maybe,” he whispered.


	11. Chapter 11

Zuko  
“You dense motherfucker,” Mai said flatly later that night. Ty Lee looked at Zuko in disappointment.  
“I know!” Zuko shouted, letting himself fall into their couch. He put his head in his hands. “Why am I so bad at being good?”  
“You drama queen,” Ty Lee said gently. She sat down next to him and put her hand on his shoulder. He peeked up at her through his hair.  
“You have to sit her down and have a hard conversation now. You’ve gone beyond softening the blow.”  
“You missed your chance, idiot.” Mai said from behind him. Ty Lee shot her a look.  
“You just need to take care of this before Azula gets to her.” Ty Lee said seriously. “She’s clearly interested in you. You have to be honest. And it has to come from you. Something like this coming from anyone else is just going to be a problem.”  
“Yeah, you’re right.” Zuko said glumly. “I’m going to have to do this the hard way.” he pulled out his phone and selected Katara’s name.

Katara  
Katara gleefully responded to Zuko’s message asking to see her again. She’d been walking on air for the last day, and seeing Zuko again tomorrow would only prolong the feeling. She agreed via text to meet him at the Jasmine Dragon before his shift at the shop, and before she needed to be at the tattoo parlor. She was practically giddy about the whole thing. She had spent the night describing it to Suki, and the more she thought about it the more magical it felt. Nothing could ruin her good mood. 

Katara had just stepped into the Jasmine Dragon, but Zuko’s goth friend was behind the counter instead of him. She must have beaten him there. Before she could decide if she should order something to wait or just wait for Zuko to get there, someone tapped her shoulder. She turned around with a smile, only to be met with a pair of darker gold eyes and longer black than she was used to. Azula smiled back in a way that froze Katara to the spot.  
“Katara, how lovely to see you here.”  
“Azula,” was all Katara could choke out past her surprise. Azula smiled and looped her arm through Katara’s to drag her over to a table.  
“I completely understand you might not be thrilled to see me,” she said loftily. “Especially after how father acted when you came for dinner. I want to apologize on his behalf. I think he forgets himself sometimes.” Katara was half caught in what Azula was saying and half distracted on trying to figure out a way to disengage. She saw the girl behind the counter whip out her phone and walk into the back. Looks like she’d be no help.  
The girl shot Katara a glance before vanishing. Katara held out hope, maybe she was getting Iroh.  
Azula frowned for a second before turning her attention back to Katara. Had she seen?  
“Anyway, I’m sure you’re busy so I’ll keep this short.” She said with a smile, dragging Katara to sit on a bench seat with her.  
“I just wanted to apologize for my brother’s atrocious behavior. He really can’t seem to help himself at times.”  
That caught her attention.  
“What do you mean?” Katara asked against her better judgment.  
“Well, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. You’ve met my father on one of his better days,” Azula said. A sympathetic smile forced its way across the unfamiliar territory of her face. “I know Zuko gets some of his habits from him, but I promise he’s not all bad.”  
“Zuko’s been great,” Katara said slowly, still confused.  
“Oh I’m sure he’s been mostly great,” Azula said, “Of course, barring that first interaction you had with him.”  
“What are you talking about?” Katara said, getting frustrated. She felt like Azula was playing a game with her and she wasn’t told the rules.  
“Oh,” Azula said with feigned surprise thinly veiling her glee. “He hasn’t told you about that night, has he?”  
“What night?” Katara pushed, even as a dark suspicion settled in her stomach.  
“You said it yourself,” Azula said with a grin. “He’s just a low-life in our community-“  
“Ah, my lovely niece has come to visit me at work,” Iroh cut across Azula’s sentence as cold dread crashed over Katara, rooting her to the spot. Azula snapped around with a frown.  
“Oh, hello Uncle.” She said flatly. She glanced back at Katara, but once she saw her work was done, she stood with a smile. “Sorry, I mis-timed coming here. I have to go.”  
“Of course,” Iroh said genially. “Let me walk you to the door and say a proper good bye.”  
Katara looked up as the door opened just in time to see Azula and Zuko passing each other in the threshold. Fear and surprise leapt onto Zuko’s face, and when he saw her looking at him, the color faded from him. Iroh stood behind him, seeming disappointed. Katara looked to the girl behind the counter, who seemed agitated.  
“Zuko,” Katara started.  
“I don’t know what she told you but I guarantee its not the truth,” Zuko said, taking a few steps toward her. Katara leapt to her feet in fear. Zuko stopped dead.  
“Why did you offer me self-defense lessons?” she demanded. Zuko opened and closed his mouth in surprise.  
“Because, you were afraid,” he said finally.  
“Afraid of who?” she asked. Her lower lip trembled, fearing the answer. Zuko swallowed hard.  
“Me.”  
Katara felt like she was going to be sick.  
“You knew,” she said quietly. She looked beyond him to Iroh, who seemed disappointed, to the other barista, who just seemed exasperated.  
“You all knew?” she asked, tears finally starting to flow.  
“I wanted to tell you,” Zuko said softly. “I tried to tell you, and I couldn’t. At first I just wanted to make sure you knew it was an accident but then I just wanted you to like me. To trust me before I told you.”  
“So you lied to me?” Katara demanded. “You got your friends to lie to me?” Katara angrily smeared tears away with the heel of her hand.  
“Get out of my way Zuko. I’m leaving.”  
“Please-“ Zuko started, but Iroh put his hand on Zuko’s shoulder.  
“I’m sorry this has happened. Please, you are free to go.” Iroh said, pulling Zuko aside and opening the door for Katara.  
“All I ask is that you don’t judge my nephew too harshly. He makes mistakes, but rarely aims to hurt.”  
“Thanks, Iroh,” Katara said, storming from the shop without looking at either of them.

Zuko  
Zuko spent the next few weeks in a numb daze. Classes, martial arts, dinner at his fathers, serving drinks, none of it seemed to reach him. The only thing he cared about was Katara’s FaceNote feed. She kept posting photos of her and friends, out at restaurants and movies, or staying in studying or cooking together. She was smiling in all of them. She looked like she was having fun in all of them.  
Zuko pulled up her feed again in bed one night at the end of winter break. Spring classes were about to begin but he coulnd't bring himself to care about them. All he could do was stew in his own self-loathing. He refreshed her timeline.  
She had just posted a photo of her and Suki walking somewhere with the setting sun lighting her up in a stunning golden hue. He slapped the phone down on his pillow so he wouldn’t have to look.  
He rolled over and nearly jumped out of his bed. Mai was standing in his doorway.  
“Why do you keep doing this?” he demanded as he sat up.  
“I don’t know what you mean,” she said nonchalantly. Zuko frowned.  
“Leave me alone,” he said, getting up and stalking toward her to close his door.  
“Katara wants to talk,” she said with a shrug. Zuko stopped dead and watched her walk away.  
“What?” he said after she had disappeared from view. He remembered his legs and darted after her. “Mai, what?” He rounded the corner and felt a cacophony of warring emotions rise up and choke him.  
Katara was standing in his kitchen.


	12. Chapter 12

Katara  
Katara spent about a week in turmoil. She went to her therapist, desperate for some sort of solution. Ms. Kyoshi pointed out that now that she knew her attacker, she could press charges.  
The idea seemed shockingly foreign to her. She didn’t know what she wanted to do. Part of her wanted to hurt Zuko, but part of her hesitated. When she expressed this, Ms. Kyoshi smiled and suggested she think on why.  
So she did.  
She thought on it in lectures, rolled thoughts through her mind while the tattoo gun buzzed in her hand, and ‘mh-hmm’ed through entire conversations. It wasn’t until Aang interrupted her deep think that she seemed to really come out of her daze.  
“Is everything okay?” he asked one day, putting a hand on her shoulder.  
“Hm?” she said, looking up and finally coming into the conversation.  
“You’ve been zoning out for ages. And when I told you I wanted you to tattoo me from head to toe you just went ‘yeah, cool’. I know something’s up.”  
Katara hesitated, and that was all Aang needed.  
“Is this about me? What I asked you?” he said softly.  
“No!” Katara said, grabbing his hand on her shoulder. “No, not at all. It’s about…someone else. Actually.” She flushed, a little embarrassed talking to Aang about this.  
“Well, its not like I’m surprised to hear it,” he said gently. “If you really want to run it by me you can.”  
“I don’t want to do that to you,” she said, looking at the ground. She felt a little awkward mentioning it at all.  
“Well, as long as they do right by you,” Aang said, gently hooking his finger under Katara’s chin so she’d look up. “I just want you to be happy. And I know if you find it, I’ll find it, too.”  
Katara smiled and pulled him into a hug. “I’m lucky to have a friend like you.”  
Aang pulled back and smiled at her. “Now, tell me about this ‘someone else’.”

Aang leaned back once Katara had finished the whole story, with one festival kiss omitted. He laced his fingers behind his head and considered it all.  
“Well, while I’m loathe to push you towards someone else,” he finally said after several minutes. “I think he deserves to be heard out. It sounds like a mistake made by an awkward young adult, who clearly didn’t get proper socialization as a child or love from his family. It’s no surprise he’s got some…quirks.”  
Katara stared at him in surprise and awe. She forgot sometimes just how forgiving Aang was.  
“You think I should talk to him?” she asked. Aang shrugged.  
“I wasn’t the one he terrified. I did see you that night though. It’s a bit of trauma, for sure. I think it’s up to you if you want to forgive him for it. And I don’t think anyone would judge your choice, one way or the other.”  
He looked at her, almost a bit sadly. “But if you have feelings for him, maybe it’s worth giving it a try.”

Katara hesitated down the block from the Jasmine Dragon. What if he wasn’t in there? Or worse, what if he was?  
“Well?” Suki prompted. “Are we going to get a drink or stand here in the cold?”  
Katara clenched her fists in her coat pockets.  
“Lets do this.”  
Katara opened the door with a little more force than necessary, dragging snow and a gust of cold air with her into the shop.  
She stared at the counter, and just Iroh manned it, chatting amicably with the patrons. He saw her as she approached and his warm smile lit up his face, as always.  
“Ah, Katara. I am happy to see you here again.” He said. “What can I get for you and your friend?”  
“I’ll have a mocha, please,” Suki said with a smile when Katara hesitated. Iroh took his time punching in her order, letting her think. He raised his eyebrows at her when he was finished.  
“I was hoping to talk to Zuko.” Katara said quietly.  
“Ah, unfortunately, Zuko has the day off,” Iroh said with a smile. “But I know a call from you would brighten his day.”  
“Oh, yeah I should just call him, shouldn’t I?” Katara said, looking at her hands. “I was kind of hoping to speak with him in person.”  
“Zuko prefers in-person discussions as well,” Iroh paused, thinking, before a mischievous glint flashed in his eyes. “Perhaps, you’d like his address?”  
Katara and Suki left with their drinks, and Zuko’s apartment scribbled on a piece of paper.  
Iroh watched them go, making sure the door closed behind them before he pulled his phone out to give Mai a quick call.

Katara stood outside a standard small apartment complex a few hours later. Suki had wished her luck and continued on her way to her dojo. Katara had told herself that once Suki rounded the block, she would go in. Yet, nearly 20 minutes later, she was still planted in the exact same spot on the sidewalk, facing the building. People had come and gone, shooting the strange girl staring at their building a quick look before deciding she looked harmless and going on their way. Finally the cold convinced her going in would be better than standing on the sidewalk forever. She took a deep breath, stuffed his address in her pocket, and walked inside. 

Zuko did not answer the door, begging for her forgiveness and sweeping her off her feet the way her wild 3-second fantasy as she knocked on his apartment door told her he might. Instead, a sullen female face with thick eyeliner and blunt bangs glared at her from the crack in the door.  
“Oh, Katara,” Mai said. The door closed with a snap and Katara heard the chain being removed. When the door opened again, Mai looked…well not _happy_ to see her. Almost awkward actually. But it did look like she was glad Katara was there.  
“Come in, I’ll get Zuko.”  
She stalked away and Katara timidly walked into the apartment, closing the door behind her and standing in the kitchen.  
She heard movement in the hallway, and was surprised when instead of a glowering, scarred face and dark hair, she was met with a smiling girl in a pink crop top.  
“Oh! Hi! I didn’t know you were here!” She said, bounding forward and grasping Katara’s hands. “I’m Ty Lee! I’ve heard so many good things about you from Zuko.”  
Katara raised her eyebrows. “Really?”  
“Oh yes.” Ty Lee leaned in with a wry smile. “He really likes you.” She bounced away just as quickly. “I’ll leave you two to it.” she said, skipping away down the hall.  
Katara didn’t have much time to process her interaction with Ty Lee before Mai swept into the room, followed closely by a disheveled Zuko.


	13. Chapter 13

Zuko  
Zuko very suddenly wished he was wearing more than a tank top and sweat pants. And that he had showered that day. Or even the day before.  
“Katara,” was all he could manage, still stunned at seeing her in his kitchen.   
“Hi Zuko,” she said quietly. She looked uncomfortable, standing in the middle of the room.  
Mai looked from Katara to Zuko and rolled her eyes.  
“Zuko,” she snapped. “Why don’t you offer Katara a seat, and some tea?”  
“Oh,” Zuko said, finally jerking into motion. “Oh right. Yeah. Yeah please.” He pulled out a chair for her at the table. “Have a seat. I’ll make us some…something.”  
“Teas on the stove.” Mai said before walking out. Zuko turned to see a lightly steaming kettle next to two mugs, each with a teabag and spoon in it. The honey was next to them. Did she plan this?  
Zuko didn’t have the time to devote thought to it as Katara took a seat. Instead, he poured the water and brought over the mugs and honey before taking a seat himself.   
She looked relieved to have something to do with her hands. Zuko knew he was at least.  
“Katara, I am so, so sorry.” He started. “I should have told you the moment I saw you again. I never meant to scare you. I didn’t even know I did until you started screaming.”  
Katara’s jaw tightened and her breath quickened. Zuko felt guilt crush his chest. The memory still scared her. Of course it would.   
“I…I don’t…” Zuko trailed off. How many times had he gone over what he would say to her if she would hear him out? How many hours had he spent apologizing and explaining to her in his head? And now that she was here, sitting in front of him, words escaped him.  
“It’s not okay,” she said. “What happened.”  
The blow was almost a relief. He was devastated, but ready to accept she’d hate him forever. He might also hate him forever.   
“You should have talked to me. You shouldn’t have dragged this out the way you did. You shouldn’t have let me…” Katara bit her lip but Zuko knew she was talking about the festival night. There was a long pause as Zuko stared dejectedly into his tea.  
“But,” Katara said. His head snapped up and he looked at her. Her lovely blue eyes met his and he felt the smallest shiver of hope wiggle into his chest.   
“I’ve met your family. I’ve experienced your father and sister first hand. And if I hadn’t also met your uncle, I would have assumed you’re the same way.”  
Zuko silently thanked his Uncle for being the way he was, and rescinded the times he felt embarrassed by it.   
“I’m willing to start over,” Katara continued. “I’m willing to start again as acquaintances, and give you a second chance.”  
Zuko sighed in relief. “That’s more than I could have ever asked for.”  
“I know,” Katara said. She stood and Zuko stood with her.   
“See you around, Zuko,” she said. Zuko scrambled for something to say to her. Either to get her to stay longer; or even to kickstart their friendship.  
“Will uh…” he trailed off when she looked at him again. He couldn’t decide if she looked sad or angry. “Will you still come to the dojo?”  
“No, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” She said, looking down. “Bye.”  
And she was out the door before Zuko could say anything else.

Katara  
Katara sat in Sokka’s tiny tattoo shop office with Toph. She was still shaking. She’d never been so cold to anyone, except perhaps for her high school boyfriend Jet, but that was years ago.   
“Sounds like a hell of a day,” Toph said, idly fiddling with her hoodie drawstring. “You still shaking?” she asked, reaching out and placing a hand on Katara’s shoulder. “Yep.” She said to herself. Her hand followed Katara’s arm down to her hand and she held it.  
“Thanks Toph.” She gripped her friends hand and took another steadying breath. “And I told him I’d give him a second chance? I didn’t plan that at all. I didn’t plan out anything. I was just going to tell him off. Or something. I don’t know.”  
“You’re thinking too hard about this Sugar Queen.” Toph said. “You like him. He fucked up, he’s human. He also is clearly hurting over it.”  
Katara looked at Toph in surprise.   
“I have to admit, of all my friends I expected you to be the slash and burn one.”  
Toph chuckled. “That’s Suki and we all know it. I may not get along with everyone, but that doesn’t mean I hate everyone. I just recognize people for what they are.”  
“And what’s that?”  
“Anxious animals. On a rock hurtling through space. Who know they’re all going to die. Just doing their best.”  
“Jeez Toph.” Katara said with a snort. “That’s dark. We need wine with that kind of realness.”  
“Ooh sounds like a good idea!” She said, hopping to her feet and pulling Katara with her.  
“Where do you two think you’re going?” Sokka asked, walking in just as they were walking out.   
“We need a drink. Shop locked up?” Katara asked. Sokka grinned.   
“Yup! Lets go.”  
The three of them walked out to Katara’s car together.  
“Do you think we should see if Suki is free?” he asked as they got in the car. Toph snorted and Katara smiled.   
“Lets see.”


	14. Chapter 14

The rest of spring semester seemed to tear by at breakneck speed. Katara still stopped by the Jasmine Dragon. Iroh was friendly as ever, and she and Zuko would chat while he made her drinks. Other than that, they didn’t see much of one another. Zuko wasn’t thrilled with it. He kept telling himself he’d ask her to hang out with him…next time. Katara wasn’t sure if she should invite him out. It was an odd unexplored territory she’d reached with him. They bumped into one another once in the grocery store. Both felt like it was accidentally seeing an acquaintance from high school. The whole dynamic between them felt off.  
Finally, just after finals had ended and greenery was sprouting on every outdoor surface, Zuko resolved to ask Katara to a friendly hang. Mai and Ty Lee were having an at-home movie night. And Ty Lee had suggested Zuko ask Katara to come along and relax.  
Zuko had no idea how that might go, but he was willing to try.  
Lucky for him, Zuko had the chance to test his resolve the same day.  
Katara breezed in. She had exchanged her winter sweaters for light jackets, and Zuko still felt like he couldn’t breathe when he saw her.  
“Hey Zuko,” she said lightly. Zuko zoned out a little while they exchanged pleasantries and she ordered.  
He took a deep breath, placed her drink on the counter, and looked her in the eyes. Katara paused, waiting for him to say whatever was clearly on his mind.  
“So Mai and Ty Lee are having a movie night.” Zuko said. Katara raised an eyebrow when he didn’t elaborate.  
“Oh, cool. That sounds…nice.” She said. She waited a beat before continuing. “Is that it?” Zuko stared at her for a second, replaying what he said and wondering where he went wrong.  
“Oh! No, um. Would you also like to go to Mai and Ty Lee’s movie night. With me. Not as a date. As friends. Like lights on. Snacks. No alcoholic beverages.” Zuko remembered what Ty Lee had said to him and tried his best to force a crooked smile onto his face.  
Katara looked alarmed though, so he stopped.  
“Movie night huh?” she asked a little dryly.  
“That’s okay. You don’t have to come. I might not even go.” Zuko said, backing out immediately. Katara laughed.  
“Zuko you live there.”  
“Well, yes. I do.”  
“Yeah, Zuko. I’ll come. It sounds fun. Should I bring snacks?”  
Zuko’s heart skipped a beat. “Great! No, no that’s fine. Ty Lee is cooking.”  
“Great. Text me the details.”  
And just like that she was gone. Zuko turned around to see Mai looking at him with a wry smile on her face from the to-go window.  
“What?” he demanded, unable to stop a real smile from working across his face. “She said yes.”  
Mai rolled her eyes and turned back to the register in front of her. 

Zuko stood in front of his bathroom mirror, frustrated over his appearance. His hair seemed to be determined to be shaggy permanently. He had a flashback to the ponytail he wore in high school and decided shaggy was better. He was clean, he was wearing his favorite red long sleeve shirt, and had pushed the sleeves up to his elbows. He may be oblivious, but he at least knew that looked good. Besides, she’d already seen him unshowered. It’d be fine.  
That didn’t stop his stomach flipping in anticipation when he heard someone knock on the door.  
He sprinted down the hall.  
“I got it!” he shouted as Ty Lee reached for the doorknob. She leapt back in surprise as Zuko stopped dead by the door. He quickly adjusted his shirt and hair, composed himself, and opened the door.  
“Hey,” he said with a half smile. “Come on in.” He stepped back and gestured for Katara to step inside.  
“Hey,” Katara said, “I know you said I didn’t need to bring snacks but my Gran-Gran wouldn’t let me leave the house without a batch of her cookies.” She smiled and held up a tupperware.  
“Ooh that’s so nice of her! Thanks!” Ty Lee said, plucking the Tupperware from Katara’s hands and bringing it to the kitchen. “I’ll set it out with everything else. Zuko, why don’t you take her coat?”  
“Oh, sure,” Zuko said, helping Katara shrug out of her jacket. He heard Mai say hello as he hung it in the hall closet.  
“So, what are we watching?” she asked as he came back. Mai finally allowed a real smile across her face.  
“Gore Hospital 4.”

Katara clutched the couch cushions, eyes riveted to the TV as the characters crept through an abandoned psychiatric hospital. Zuko sat on the couch next to her. Ty Lee and Mai were cuddled together on a large beanbag couch. Ty Lee’s spread of chips, homemade dip, snacks and sandwiches had been all but decimated by the four of them. The container of Gran-Grans cookies was empty.  
She jumped as the characters rounded the corner and the music swelled, only for it to be mice.  
She relaxed, but was scared again as the characters turned around to face a bloody ghost, this time the music shrieking.  
Katara nearly leapt out of her skin, her hand shot out and smacked down over Zuko’s, who was equally on edge. Without thinking he grasped her hand back. The two of them finally had their focus wrenched from the movie, each hyper aware of the others hand.  
Was it weird? Katara wondered. Did she make it weird?  
Zuko wondered if he should let go. Was her hand only there because he was keeping it there?  
He loosened his grip, but her hand stayed where it was. Zuko felt a tug on his heart and her hand shifted. He assumed to pull away, but caught his breath when, instead, she laced her fingers through his.  
Suddenly, the movie wasn’t so interesting to either of them. Katara and Zuko found themselves moving closer as the night wore on.  
By the end of it, they were clutching each other every time a character was brutally murdered.  
Katara squeaked in fear at one point, and felt Zuko’s chuckle rumble in his chest more than she heard it.  
“Oh shut up,” she whispered, leaning comfortably into him. He looked down at her on his chest, a bemused smile on his face. And looked back at the TV just in time for another jump scare.  
He flinched, tensing the arm wrapped around Katara’s shoulders. This time she snorted at him. She looked up at him and he realized just how close she was. His heart skipped a beat, Katara blushed hard across her cheeks and looked back at the TV.  
She sat up, pulling from Zuko’s arm, choosing to hold his hand instead. She needed to make sure she didn’t get too close. Not this soon anyway. She needed to make sure she was going into this with a clear head and wasn’t just leading him, and herself, on.

Katara found herself in her coat and heading out the door before she knew it. The movie didn’t feel long enough when she got to sit so comfortably with Zuko. Mai and Ty Lee had said their good nights and sauntered off to Mai’s room.  
“Oh, don’t forget your Gran-Gran’s Tupperware.” Zuko said, swiftly crossing the room and picking it off the coffee table. He hesitated as he handed it back.  
Katara looked up at him when he didn’t relinquish it.  
“I’d really like to hang out like this again,” he said quietly. Katara nearly melted at the tone of his husky voice.  
“Uhm, yeah,” she said. Unusually at a loss for words. “I think that’d be fun. I-I’d like that, too.”  
Zuko sighed in relief and let go of the container. “I’ll see you later, then?”  
“Absolutely,” Katara said with a smile. “Good night, Zuko.” And with that she turned and left. Zuko closed the door gently as she went.


	15. Chapter 15

Katara bounced into the Jasmine Dragon one cloudy afternoon, bringing fresh spring air, soft white flower petals and a burst of pollen into the shop that made Zuko’s eyes water.  
“Hey!” she said, slapping a piece of paper down on the counter. “Check these out.”  
Zuko picked up two tickets to what looked like a garden tour.   
“Is this for us?” he asked, wondering if he was being too hopeful.   
“Yeah! It’s for the botanical gardens. They have an entire cherry blossom festival that runs for a few weeks.” She paused for a moment, her tone shifting softer suddenly, almost shy. “If you’d like to come with me, it’d make me happy.”  
Zuko couldn’t help the smile that comment forced onto his face.  
“How can I be anything but excited to make you happy?”

That was how Zuko found himself suffering through a ridiculously high pollen count on a bright and cheery spring day, surrounded by blooming flowers. The only bright side was Katara, who cycled through hanging on his arm to darting over to various flowers and plants, to dragging him over to see them, too.  
It seemed no matter how much allergy medication he brought with him or crammed into his mouth would help. Every time Katara turned her back he whipped out a tissue to wipe his nose. He constantly had to dash away tears from his irritated eyes. He considered it worth it to see Katara so excited, though. A little allergy irritation wouldn’t stand in the way of a nice day.  
“Zuko, come on. The best part is around the corner.” Katara said gripping his arm and leading him around a corner covered in dense green foliage.   
Zuko stopped dead when they rounded the corner in awe.   
A mini orchard of what looked like a dozen cherry trees were all in full bloom under a massive glass dome. Sunlight streamed in, dappling light through the glass and giving the whole greenhouse a warm glow. Soft pink petals littered the ground, and more still drifted gently to the ground in fits and bursts. A few other groups of people sat under the trees or walked among them. He could hear water running nearby. The whole scene was so serene, he almost forgot himself.  
Almost.  
Suddenly his nose itched, and before he could catch himself, he let out the massive sneeze he’d been suppressing the whole time. He slapped his hand over his nose, but his “ah-CHOO” echoed across the orchard. Several people nearby stopped and stared.  
He didn’t dare remove his hand from his face while Katara was still looking at him.  
She bit her lip to stifle a giggle.  
“You okay?” she whispered.  
“Yeah,” he grunted, fishing out his tissue. “Super.”

“Why didn’t you mention allergies?” Katara asked with a laugh in her voice. The two of them had taken refuge under a tree near the back of the orchard. Zuko could now see the serene stream rimmed with rocks that ran the perimeter of the dome. Small vents filtered air through the orchard, knocking petals loose and making them daintily dance as they drifted through the air.  
“I thought the drugstore stuff was good enough,” Zuko shrugged. “Plus its nice watching you enjoy yourself.”  
Katara shot him a smile as she dug through her bag.  
“Well lucky you I have allergies too. Only Gran-Gran has a fool-proof remedy.”  
That caught Zuko’s interest.  
“Really?”  
Katara pulled out a thermos and unscrewed the cap, which she turned over to make a cup. She filled it with what looked like tea and handed it to Zuko.   
“Drink that. Gran-Gran makes it for me every year. Over-the-counter crap has nothing on that.”  
He sipped it and grimaced.  
“Ugh, what is this, hot leaf juice?”  
Katara giggled. “Just down it. It’s good for you.” She pulled a container from her bag. “I’ll give you a prize for finishing.”  
Curiosity got the best of him, so he downed the tea, tried not to gag, and tried handing back the cup in time to see her neatly unwrapping sandwiches and opening containers of fruit and cheese, laying them all out on a cloth she had spread on the ground.   
“What-?” he asked, stunned. The food under the tree, complete with the lovely girl laying it out, felt like a scene from a fairy tale.  
“Where did you even-?”   
Katara laughed. “Don’t be so surprised. Gran-Gran isn’t the only one who can make snacks.”  
Zuko couldn’t help himself as a genuine laugh bubbled out of him. Katara stared, caught by the sound.   
“What? Is it that surprising I brought food? I do this with all of my friends.” Katara said with a smile. She pulled out a bottle of wine. Zuko raised his eyebrows.  
“Okay, you had my interest, now you have my attention.” He said with a grin.

The two of them laughed and chatted beneath the gently falling petals of the cherry tree as the sun slowly moved towards the horizon.   
Katara found herself with her head in Zuko’s lap as he leaned against the tree. The two of them had a little blush on their faces from finishing the wine, and were giggling over the smallest things.   
“I don’t think I’ve ever had a day this nice,” Zuko said with a contented sigh.  
“Really?” Katara asked idly. “I thought we had a nice time at the festival.”  
“Good point, that night was really fun.” Both of them took a quiet moment to think about what had happened that night. Katara considered it bittersweet, because of what happened the next day. Zuko could only feel overwhelming guilt. Over both not being able to tell her the truth that night and desperately wanting to kiss her more.  
He looked down at her scrolling through her phone with her head resting in his lap. Her long hair was draped over his legs and pooled onto the ground on the other side. Without thinking he brushed a few stray strands of hair from her face, tracing a path through the silky tresses as he did so.   
He looked back at her to find her staring up at him, her phone forgotten in her hand.  
If he hadn’t had wine in his system, he might have felt awkward. He definitely would have apologized. For what, he wasn’t sure. But in his experience, it was always safer for him to just say sorry.  
Instead, her wide eyes on him gave him a thrill. He turned his attention back to her hair and ran his hand through it, admiring the way it slipped through his fingers.  
Katara watched as his gaze swept over her. The feeling of having someone play with her hair sent pleasant chills down her neck and over her shoulders. His golden eyes flicked back to her face to ensure she was enjoying herself, and a little more than just a pleasant chill shot through her. The only time she’d seen that kind of confidence from him was in the dojo. It did something weird to her insides. Maybe it was the wine, but she wanted to touch his face, or maybe his neck. Or chest. She quietly lifted her hand off the ground…  
“Hey, park is closing up.”  
The two of them looked up at an employee in surprise. The sun was barely hanging onto the horizon. Where had the time gone?  
“Sorry about that,” Zuko said, a little embarrassed. He cradled Katara’s head in his hands and helped her into a sitting position.  
“Yeah, we’ll pack up,” Katara said, swiftly wrapping up their food and drink and stuffing it into her bag.   
The employee stalked away, muttering grumpily under his breath about dumb couples.  
Zuko and Katara exchanged a glance before bursting into giggles again.  
Katara finished putting their things in her bag as Zuko stood. He offered her a hand and pulled her to her feet.  
“Come on,” he said. “Lets walk off some of this wine.”  
They meandered back through the gardens and onwards toward home, both very aware that they hadn’t let go of the other’s hand.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ;)

Katara and Zuko were chatting amicably as he put together Katara’s order of the day.  
Ty Lee burst into the shop, practically glowing with excitement.  
“Hey everyone!” she called, striding right behind the counter to plant a kiss on Mai, who looked equally pleased and furious. “I have invites for you all!” she declared, fishing a stack of hot pink envelopes from her bag.  
“One for my love,” she said with a grin. Mai snatched it from her hands and stuffed it into her pocket.  
“Oh don’t do that you’ll crumple it,” Ty Lee admonished absent-mindedly, flipping through her stack.  
“One for Zuko,” she said, tucking it into his apron since his hands were busy making Katara’s drink. She danced under his outstretched arms as he stepped back in alarm.  
“Ty Lee, you’re going to make me spill this on you,” he grumbled, holding a blender full of frappuccino higher to make sure she didn’t bump it. Ty Lee continued without pause.  
“And one for Katara,” she said, handing her an envelope as well.  
“See you all there!” she said with an excited squeal, and was gone. The three left in the café exchanged glances. Somehow all of them felt a little steamrolled.  
Katara looked at the invitation in her hand. Bright pink paper with gold embossment declared she was invited to a graduation party.  
“Is Ty Lee graduating this semester?” she asked as she slipped her pinky under the seal and popped open the invite.  
Mai and Zuko exchanged glances.  
“We all are,” he said, shooting her a quizzical look. Katara looked from Mai to Zuko.  
“Wait how old are you all?” she asked in alarm.  
“I just turned 23,” Mai said, shooting Zuko a look.  
“I’ll be 23 this year,” he said, ignoring her.  
Katara stared. “I just turned 21! I had no idea you were older.”  
Zuko shrugged. “I didn’t realize I was either. It’s just two years though.”  
“Zuko that means when you met her she couldn’t even drink,” Mai said. Zuko stopped.  
“Oh weird.” He mumbled. He looked at Katara. “Is that weird?”  
“I mean, not a lot. Just surprising. I didn’t realize you were all graduating though.” she said a little sadly. Zuko picked up on it.  
“It’s not a big deal,” he said as he placed her drink on the counter. “Plus it’s not as if we’d never see each other again. We both kind of live in the area. Enough to visit our familys once a month. Even if I graduate, I’ll still be working here. You’d still be at the shop.”  
“Yeah,” Katara said, any rising fears swiftly and suddenly quelled. “Good point.”  
She glanced at her phone.  
“Oops. Speaking of, I have to go!” she stuffed her invite in her bag, snatched up her drink and swept out the door with a glance back to wave good bye.  
“Nice cover,” Mai said as the door closed.  
“Shut up.”

A week later, Katara pulled up to the address listed on Ty Lee’s invite, but as she stared up at the massive mansion, she felt like she had to be at the wrong place. It was bigger than Zuko’s family home.  
She gave Zuko a quick call.  
*Hello?* he answered. She could hear chatter and music in the background.  
*Hey, I think I’m here?* Katara said, glancing around. *But I’m not sure. Is it supposed to be-*  
*Massive? Yeah, that’s the right place. Hold tight, I’ll come get you.*  
And with that, the phone call clicked off.

Katara suddenly felt underdressed in her flowy skirt and floral crop top. Was this a formal party?  
She felt relieved when Zuko emerged wearing jeans and a plain black tshirt.  
“Hey, glad you made it okay,” he said as she stepped out of the car.  
“Thanks,” she said. She grabbed a bag from her back seat, but didn’t miss Zuko’s quick up-down gaze.  
He looked away when Katara caught him staring, feeling heat rising to his face.  
“Here, this is for you.” Katara said with a wry smile, handing Zuko a small wrapped gift.  
“What for?” he asked, gingerly accepting.  
“Your graduation too, silly,” she said, fishing through her bag. She plucked out another gift, wrapped in shiny black paper topped with a blood red bow.  
“One for Mai, too.”  
“What did you get her?” he couldn’t help being curious, even as he pulled at the wrapping of his own gift.  
“I noticed she loves a bold lip,” Katara said with a smirk. “I picked her up a black lipstick with serious staying power.”  
Zuko paused. “I know what all of those words mean separately.”  
Katara rolled her eyes. “Just open yours already.”  
Zuko pulled away the last of the wrapping paper to reveal a sleek, black rectangle. It felt hollow. He gave it a little shake and heard something rattle inside.  
“What is this?” he asked with a grin, his curiosity officially engaged.  
“It’s a puzzle box,” Katara said coyly. “You’ll get your gift when you figure out how to open it. Should be a cinch for a college grad.”  
Zuko laughed. “Are Mai and Ty Lee’s gifts as difficult?”  
“Nope. Just yours.” Katara teased. “Now are we going to join the party or do you want me to watch you struggle to get into a box all day?”  
Zuko finally looked up from his puzzle. “Yeah, okay. Let’s go.”

Zuko quickly stashed his present in his car and led Katara around the side of the mansion. She was blown away by the property alone. A cabana, a large bar and grill area, a huge pool, a back deck lined with tables laden with food, and a grassy area were people lounged in wicker loveseats or played idle games all laid spread out in the huge backyard.  
“Not bad for a little backyard bash, huh?” Zuko said, guiding Katara over to a table laden with presents.  
“Backyard bash?” she asked, taking a quick look around. More like dressed down gala. Everyone over 18 looked like money, and she very quickly felt out of place.  
Zuko felt more than saw her unease. It was something he knew all too well. He gently wrapped his arm around her shoulders and leaned in.  
“Don’t worry about them. You’re a face in the crowd. Half of these people don’t know each other, you don’t stick out,” he murmured.  
Katara looked up at him from under her lashes.  
“Thanks,” she whispered.  
“Ah you came!” Ty Lee’s unmistakable voice squealed from behind them. They snapped apart like they were caught doing something wrong.  
“Congrats Ty Lee!” Katara said, taking a step forward to give her a hug. She looked behind her and froze, confused. She knew Ty Lee had come in for a hug, so why was she looking at Ty Lee?  
“Uh, do you - ?” Katara started to ask, before Ty Lee pulled away and gestured to her doppleganger.  
“Oh right! You don’t know about my sisters. This is Ty Lin!”  
Ty Lee pointed to another girl, who turned around and also had Ty Lee’s face.  
“And that’s Ty Lao.” She said. Katara watched in shock as she kept pointing out girls with identical faces.  
“Ty Lat, Ty Woo, Ty Lum, and Ty Liu,” she said, finally turning back to Katara.  
“I’m a septuplet!”  
“Six identical sisters?” Katara asked weakly.  
“I had a similar reaction,” Mai said dryly, but she looked like Katara’s shock amused her.  
“Oh shush,” Ty Lee said with a smile. “Go get dressed, I wanna go swimming!”  
“Oh, I didn’t realize,” Katara said. “I didn’t bring my suit.”  
“Don’t worry! I have plenty!” Ty Lee said, gripping her upper arm and neary dragging her off. Katara looked over her shoulder to see Zuko waving, and mouthing “sorry” as she went. 

Katara looked at herself in Ty Lee’s bathroom mirror. There was no way she could go out in front of all those strangers and swim in the skimpy bikini Ty Lee had given her to wear. The white two piece had blue Hawaiian flowers decorating it, but rode a little high on her hips. The top had its work cut out for it, stretched out as far as it would go to cover her breasts.  
“Let me see!” Ty Lee demanded from outside the door.  
“It might be too small,” Katara called back.  
“Nonsense. Open up.”  
Katara reluctantly did so, and Ty Lee’s face lit up.  
“That fits perfect! You look great!”  
“It’s not to small?” Katara asked.  
“Absolutely not. You look like a babe. Mai, check her out.” Ty Lee grabbed Katara by the shoulders and spun her to face Mai, who was sitting idly at Ty Lee’s vanity. Mai’s eyebrows shot up.  
“Wow. Turns out Zuko does have taste,” she said, turning back to the makeup brush she was playing with.  
Katara was surprised Mai’s approval killed any doubt she had. If she could get Mai to give her an genuine compliment, then she looked good. She’d just take any insecurity about her suit and cram it down for the hour she was swimming.  
She didn’t have to worry about the way she looked for long though. Zuko met them by the pool, and her brain nearly shorted out.  
She’d seen him in the dojo, but that was just a tank top. Seeing him shirtless, he was significantly more muscular than she realized. He turned and she watched as the muscles in his torso rippled under smooth pale skin. She felt her face go hot and couldn’t hear anything but her heart beating in her ears.  
Zuko was equally distressed and suddenly very glad for the beer he had had while waiting for the girls. If he had seen Katara saunter up to him looking that good sober he might have just shut down.  
“You look fantastic,” he said as Ty Lee and Mai waded into the pool ahead of them.  
“You look pretty good yourself,” she said, biting her lip and deciding to focus on swimming. 

As the night wore on Katara quickly forgot her misgivings about her borrowed suit. The four of them roamed from the pool to the grill to the bar and back again, laughing, drinking, and enjoying their leisure time. Night settled over the party, only to have fairy lights and lamps chase away the darkness. Somehow, Katara found herself alone with Zuko in the pool. Ty Lee and Mai had slipped away to a quiet corner, and the party was winding down.  
Katara shivered as the spring night air combined with being in the pool all day officially turned cold.  
“Lets get you out of the water,” Zuko suggested. He swam ahead, collecting towels for the two of them. He wrapped one around his waist and used the other to pull Katara to him.  
“Hey,” she laughed. “I can dry myself.”  
“Oh I don’t know,” he joked. “I think this is a two-person job. You see how much water is in that pool?” he settled the towel around her shoulders. “That’s all over you now. Plus,” He pulled her closer to him and brought her arms around his waist.  
“I’m warm.”  
Katara was delighted to find he, in fact, was quite warm. And her fingers were quite cold at this point.  
She pressed them into his sides and he went rigid from the burst of cold. He very seriously put both hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes.  
“Why do all women do this?” he demanded. Katara just giggled and leaned into it, hugging him to her and enjoying his warmth before she realized what she was doing.  
“Oh,” she said, taking a step back. “Sorry. You really are just warm.”  
Zuko playfully tugged on her towel, pulling her back in.  
“Don’t worry about it,” he said softly, so the rasp in his voice became gravelly. Katara looked up at him and bit her lip. His face was framed by the fairy lights. The backyard was finally empty as the remainder of the party had moved inside. And he was looking at her with those liquid gold eyes that made her head spin. He leaned in, but left enough room for her to decide. He looked down at her and watched her deliberate. He wished he knew what she was thinking. Was he scaring her again? Was she thinking of the festival, and what happened then? Was she thinking of going for it?  
His questions were quieted at last as Katara met his mouth with hers. Her hands snaked up his chest. One lingered on his shoulder and the other reached up the back of his neck, tangling in his hair.  
He slid one hand under her towel and around her waist, every so gently pulling her in. The other hand wrapped around her upper back, towel and all. They separated for a moment. Zuko felt like the world had ground to a halt and had already decided on savoring the moment, but Katara didn’t give him the chance. She kissed him again, more intensely. He responded in kind, pressing his body against hers and running his hands over her skin, leaving goose bumps in his wake. Katara’s tongue pressed at his lips, and he let them part. He couldn’t help the soft moan that escaped him as her tongue flicked inside his mouth.  
He crushed her closer, eager for more. She ran her hands over his body and tangled them in his hair. She pressed on him, rocking him backwards ever so slightly.  
Suddenly, he lost his balance. He stumbled backwards only to have a pool chair catch him behind the knees. He sat down hard, pulling Katara with him.  
She tried to stay standing but her towel was in his hands and she was tugged forward. She flopped into his lap, straddling his hips.  
“Well,” Zuko said, a little breathless. “Thanks for dropping in.” Katara giggled hiding her face in the crook of his neck. They were quiet for a moment, until Zuko pulled back, making Katara look at him.  
“Would I ruin everything if I asked you if we should talk about this?” he asked softly.  
Katara’s chest clenched. “No, it’d be the smart thing to do,” she said gently, lifting a finger to trace his bottom lip.  
Zuko let his hands drape across her lower back. “Is that something we want to do now?” he pressed, gently tipping his head back and closing his eyes.  
“I think that’s a conversation for tomorrow Katara and Zuko,” she said with a grin, leaning down and pressing another soft kiss on his mouth.  
“Works for me,” he said as she pulled away, trailing kisses along his jawline and down his neck. She ground her hips against his, feeling his length growing against her.  
He shivered against the cold and the pleasure. He let his hands wander, first admiring the curve of her spine, then gently tracing lines down, over her ass. He splayed his hands out and gave her a light squeeze, enjoying the feeling of her.  
“You guys still out here?” Ty Lee’s voice cut across the night like a shot. Zuko felt Katara jump and try to pull away, but held her in place. He looked over her shoulder at the back door with a scowl.  
“Whoops, sorry! We’re doing cake. You know what, nevermind!” Ty Lee said with a giggle, before snapping the sliding door shut.  
Katara sighed and rested her forehead against his. “We should go inside, shouldn’t we.”  
“I don’t know, she left it pretty ambiguous.” Zuko rasped back, frustrated.  
“We did mention stopping to talk about things,” she said. Zuko sighed and removed his hand from under her towel to cup her face.  
“You’re right,” he admitted. “Lets put a pin in this, because I’d like to pick it back up from here if you want to, too.”  
“I definitely do.” Katara said, leaning into his hand.  
“Great.” Zuko said. “Up we go then.”  
“What?” Katara said, but didn’t get an answer as Zuko swiftly put his hand back under her butt and stood, lifting her easily into the air with him. She clung to his shoulders so she wouldn’t flip off backwards. He gently set her down and she adjusted her towel. She tried and failed to suppress her smile as he lead the way inside.


	17. Chapter 17

Unfortunately, the end of the school year didn’t leave Katara or Zuko quite as free as either of them had hoped. Zuko graduated, and his father set him up with private tutors that would groom him to help run the Jasmine Dragon chain. Along with his own martial arts classes, the kids’ karate he taught, and working more hours in-store, Zuko found his days packed.  
Katara found herself equally occupied. Toph was forced to choose between a month abroad with a tutor or a summer-long finishing seminar, and quickly opted to go abroad, so long as she got to bring a friend. Katara was delighted to tour through Europe with her friend, especially with a knowledgeable guide in tow. She got back at the end of June, and even though she had video chatted and messaged Zuko during her trip, she still wanted to go see him. So she strolled up to the Jasmine Dragon the day after she got home, snuck a peak through the window and grinned when she caught his eye.   
Katara breezed in and Zuko, as always, felt breathless. Once more, she had traded her blue sweaters and jackets for a blue crop top and shorts. Without thinking, Zuko came around the counter and scooped her up in a hug. He pulled back to kiss her but paused, not sure where he stood after not seeing her for so long. Luckily, he didn’t have to agonize over it for long, since she planted a kiss on him anyway.  
“Do you say hi to all of your customers this way?” she asked with a giggle. Zuko laughed and released her, walking back behind the counter. She followed his movements on the other side.   
“Only when I’m the one running the place,” he joked.  
“What do you mean?” Katara asked. “Did your dad give this to you to run since you graduated?”  
Zuko laughed. “No, I mean I’m the only one here right now.”  
Katara paused, a mischievous glint in her eyes.  
“It’s pretty slow right now, isn’t it?” she pressed.  
Zuko very suddenly felt caught and he wasn’t quite sure why.   
“Yes?” he said slowly. “We likely won’t see another customer for a while at this time of day.”  
“Great,” Katara said casually, walking around and behind the counter with him.   
“You know what’s very interesting to your customers?” she asked with a sly grin.  
“Uh, what?” Zuko asked in spite of himself. She was getting at something and he could barely keep up for the life of him.  
“The back. It’s like a mythical place. You always ‘check the back’ for stuff anywhere you go and it’s always got it.”  
Zuko frowned in confusion, his momentary excitement dimming but not going away. She was still looking at him like that.  
“You…want to see the back?”   
Katara quickly realized he wasn’t quite getting it. She suppressed a smile.  
“Yes Zuko, show me into the back please.”  
“Okay,” he said with a shrug, turning and leading the way. Katara tried not to roll her eyes. Either he was toying with her or he really just wasn’t getting it.   
“This is it,” he said, gesturing to the small, dimly lit green room with a wire rack of supplies on one side and a pile of boxes on the other. Katara walked by Zuko into the room, hooking a finger into his apron as she went, forcing him to come with her.  
“Did you miss me, Zuko?” she asked playfully.  
“Of course.”  
She faced him.  
“I missed you too, you know,” she said, before pulling him down so she could place a slow kiss on his mouth.  
He kissed her back, pulling her towards him and wrapping his arms around her waist.   
He broke away with a gasp as the light bulb went off.  
“You didn’t want to see the back,” he said, looking at her. She snorted.  
“No, Zuko. I didn’t.”  
“Hey I’m a little new to this,” he said, kissing her with enthusiasm. “Cut me some slack.”  
Katara chuckled. “All those other girls weren’t so subtle?” she jokingly asked between kisses.  
“There’s only been you,” Zuko responded without thinking.   
Katara stopped. “Wait, am I the only…?”  
“No. I mean. Sorta.” Zuko said, cursing himself for ruining another moment. “I dated Mai in high school but…that’s been it.”  
“No summer-fun flings?”  
“With my social graces? No.”  
“No one night stands?”  
“With my face?”  
Katara’s eyes flicked to the scar.  
“So, that night at Ty Lee’s graduation when you asked if we should talk, that was just as much for you as it was for me?”  
Zuko shrugged, a little embarrassed. “Yeah.” Then it hit him.  
“Wait, have you had boyfriends and summer flings and one night stands?”  
Katara blushed. “I mean, yeah. Not a ton but some.”  
He stared at her, impressed and not quite surprised at her, more surprised at himself. Of course not everyone would be his level of awkward with other people.  
Katara just realized what he was getting at.  
“Wait, Zuko are you a vi– “  
“Ugh, seriously?” the both jumped at the gravelly voice of Mai. Zuko turned around to face her.  
“I’d say get a room but it looks like you already picked the wrong one.” She said, plucking her apron off the hook by the door and walking away.  
“I should uh…” Zuko started, turning back to Katara, but realizing he did not want to do anything that didn’t involve her.   
“I’ll let you get back to work,” she said with a smile. She went on tiptoe to press another soft kiss to his lips. “We’ll definitely talk later.”

Zuko threw himself on his bed at the end of the day and reflexively picked up the graduation present Katara had given him. The puzzle box remained resolutely locked, no matter how much he fiddled with it. He adored it. Every time he thought he had it, there was another piece in the way of opening it. It made him think of Katara whenever he worked on it.  
He glanced at his phone as it buzzed and grinned. Think of the devil.  
Katara had sent him a link to a hiking trail that had just opened. He scooped up his phone and gleefully messaged her back.

Katara scrolled through her phone, leaning against the post at the beginning of the trail. She looked up when another car pulled into the lot and grinned. Zuko stepped out and to her surprise, hauled a backpack out after him.  
“What’s that?” she asked as he approached.  
“Well you went through the trouble of making food for us last time. I thought I could return the favor,” he said, blushing a little. Katara’s chest squeezed.   
“That sounds great.”  
The two picked their way up the mountain trail, chatting amicably as they went. Zuko did his best to avoid staring at Katara’s ass when she walked in front of him. Katara, on the other hand, admired Zuko’s physique when he walked in front. When they finally reached the top they paused for a moment to admire the view. Greenery stretched out below them, cleared out in a circle to their left where their little town was tucked between two peaks. Katara could just see the corner of her dorm, and Zuko easily picked out his fathers estate. The moment of quiet between them was disrupted as Zuko’s stomach grumbled. Katara giggled.  
“Let's set up,” she said as Zuko slung his bag off his bag.  
“Yeah, lets.”

Katara was impressed at Zuko’s selection. Boozy lemonade, chicken salad sandwiches, iced coffees and a fat slice of cake from the Jasmine Dragon. She laid back on the blanket he had spread out and tucked her hands behind her head, satisfied and warm.  
“That was excellent,” she said dreamily, closing her eyes against the sun. Cicadas buzzed in the distance, a light breeze rustled through the trees and dragged light, cooling fingers over her skin, and the smell of summer dust and heat lingered in the air.   
Zuko laid back too, copying Katara’s idea of tucking his hands behind his head.   
He knew what he wanted to say, but anxiety closed his throat for a moment. He cleared it and looked over to Katara. She had turned her head towards him while he had his eye closed. He suddenly felt frozen under her gaze.   
“You look like you want to say something,” she murmured.   
“I’ve never slept with anyone,” he blurted out. He silently cursed himself. That was _not_ the conversation he had practiced.   
“I worked that out,” Katara said with a sympathetic smile. “That’s fine, you know.”  
Zuko finally pulled his gaze from hers, looking up at the sky instead.   
“I know,” he said quietly. “It’s just…I feel like I’m behind everyone else. And it’s weird to talk about. I think. I don’t know. And its not like I tried to be but I didn’t really try to not be? It just kind of never happened. And…and…and I think I’m rambling please stop me.” He finished with a dry chuckle.   
Katara turned her face back to the sky too.   
“It’s really not a big deal, Zuko,” she said. “It’s not a race or anything. Honestly it’s likely that the more you think on it the more you’ll freak yourself out about it.”  
“But don’t girls want someone who knows what they’re doing?”  
Katara snorted. “Some guys seem to think they know what they’re doing, and the ones who are confident tend to be the ones who don’t listen when you want them to do something for you. Girls want an enthusiastic partner. They want someone who is there to pleasure them, too. Not just get off.”  
“Yeah?”  
Katara shrugged. “Mostly. Sometimes it’s just for fun. Sometimes it’s just a one night stand. But long term? Yeah pretty much."   
Zuko mulled over the information, considering. He may not have experience, but if sparring with Katara was anything to go off of, he figured he’d be okay. The only thing to do now, he realized, was give it a try.  
Heart in his mouth, he rolled onto his side to face Katara. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.   
He slowly reached his hand across her waist, caught her side, and pulled her towards him.  
She rolled towards him and scooted closer with a giggle. Zuko started pressing kisses on her. Dotting along her nose and cheeks before reaching her lips. Katara kissed him back, smiling gently against his lips. Zuko quickly moved to her jaw and down her neck. He shifted so he we up on one forearm, the other arm still wrapped around Katara’s waist. He moved his hand up to press on the middle of her back to make her arch so he could work kisses further down her neck onto her breasts. Katara let out a soft huff as he did so, letting her arms fall back for better access. Zuko felt her fingers start winding through his hair. He felt the heat begin to coil low in his stomach as he hungrily kissed and nipped at her neck. He slid his hand under her shirt, dragging it up with his hand until his fingers brushed against her bra. He paused.  
“Uhm – “ was all he was able to get out before Katara swiftly tugged her shirt up and over her head.  
She kissed him on the mouth. “We can take this at your pace,” she murmured.  
“Are you sure?” Zuko smirked. “Cuz I kind of want all of you.”  
“That’s a good thing. I kind of want all of you,” she said, leaning back on her elbows. Zuko couldn’t help the gaze that trailed down from Katara’s face and along her graceful neck to settle on the smooth curves of her breasts. He slipped her bra straps off her shoulders and reached around her back. His fingers brushed over the clasps and he felt his confidence falter. He had no idea what it actually looked like or worked, let alone how to undo them.  
Katara smirked and reached back with one hand and swiftly snapped them apart.  
“That comes with practice,” she said as her bra fell away. Zuko reacted before thinking, pulling her to him with one hand and kissing up the mound of her breast until he found her nipple and grazed his tongue over it experimentally. His other hand was busy with the other breast, changing from cupping to gently squeezing, enjoying the weight and feel of her skin as his thumb grazed over her nipple. Katara couldn’t help the goosebumps that trailed up her chest. A soft moan escaped her as she reached for Zuko’s shirt and yanked it up too. He quickly shed it and returned to her chest. Katara ran her hands across his smooth alabaster skin, admiring the muscles that moved fluidly underneath. Zuko found his way back up to Katara’s mouth and moaned into her mouth as she picked up her hips to grind into him. He used his knee to push one of Katara’s leg over and settled himself between them. Zuko tried grinding his hips into hers, succeeding in making both of them gasp.  
“Do you have anything with you?” he asked, realizing way too late he did not have the foresight to bring a condom.  
“My bag – “ Katara started, when someone’s surprised “Woah” cut her off.  
Zuko grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her into his chest, wrapping his arms protectively around her and blocking her from view as a group of college kid hikers made it to the summit.  
“Uh – “ one kid said, looking from Zuko to Katara’s eyes peaking over his shoulder and back.  
“Leave,” Zuko growled.   
“But we wanted summit selfies,” another of the group said.  
“Give us a minute?” Katara squeaked from Zuko’s shoulder. The group receded, turning back around the bend of the trail.  
Zuko turned back to Katara.  
“Mood killer, isn’t it?” he asked.  
“A little. But no rush,” she said, reaching for her bra. “I know where you live.”


End file.
